What is pornography?

What is pornography?

JAKARTA: The absence of a clear-cut legal definition of
pornography has made it difficult for police authorities to fight
pornography, a high ranking police officer says.

Deputy chief of the Indonesian Police public relations
division Brig Gen. Edward Aritonang said during a discussion on
pornography organized by the Central Coordination Body of Public
Relations Agencies (Bako Humas) and the Ministry of Religious
Affairs that the definition of pornography in existing laws was
too general and open to contradicting interpretations.

"Because of the lack of a clear-cut definition, each
journalist has to make a subjective interpretation as to what is
pornographic and what isn't," Aritonang said.

The National Council of Ulemas (MUI) has been urging the
authorities to deal firmly with publications and television
stations publishing and broadcasting pornographic pictures or
programs.

Aritonang pointed out that a number of suspects had in the end
been acquitted as they could not be proven guilty of the charges
due to the unclear legal definition.

"Besides, the defense lawyers and testimonies by experts had
further weakened the charges because they claimed the matters in
question were artistic creations rather than pornography," he
said. -- Antara