Youth jailed for insulting judge

Youth jailed for insulting judge

JAKARTA (JP): A Surakarta university student was sentenced to five months in jail yesterday for throwing a shoe at a judge during the trial of controversial politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas in May.

Ignatius Pujianto, an interior design student, also lost his right shoe because the Central Jakarta District Court ordered the evidence destroyed.

Judge Imam Purnomo found him guilty of contempt of court.

Although there is still no article on contempt of court in the Indonesian Criminal Code, the judge used article 335 on "improper behavior", an offense that carries a maximum jail term of one year.

Ignatius never showed remorse and even defended his actions, saying that he was merely expressing his displeasure at the injustice perpetrated by the court against Bintang.

"I will continue my struggle against unfair judges," he told reporters after the verdict yesterday. He was more restrained yesterday than during Bintang's trial.

Yesterday, he was wearing a pair of black shoes. He said he had thrown away the other brown shoe in police detention.

As he has spent more than four months in detention, he will only spend 10 more days in prison to complete his sentence.

Ignatius was a spectator during the sentencing of Bintang at the same court on May 8. The presiding judge, Judge Syoffinan, found Bintang guilty of insulting President Soeharto and sentenced him to 34 months in prison. Immediately after the verdict was read, a brown shoe was thrown from the crowd which just missed the judge and landed on his table instead.

According to court testimony, Ignatius also shouted after Bintang's verdict: "The trial was fixed. The judge is unjust."

Judge Syoffinan and three arresting police officers were among those who testified against Ignatius.

His lawyer, Paulus L. Mahulete, had argued for an acquittal given that contempt of court does not exist in Indonesia. (16)