Ara
September 16th, 2004, 11:24 AM
Indonesian judges acquitt two reporters of libel
LELY T. DJUHARI, Associated Press Writer
(09-16) 00:50 PDT JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) --
An Indonesian court on Thursday acquitted two prominent reporters of libeling a wealthy businessman, the conclusion of a closely watched cased that is likely to encourage Indonesia's embattled press.
Later Thursday, the court was expected to issue a verdict on the editor of Tempo magazine, Indonesia's most prominent news magazine, who faces up to two years in jail on the same charges of libeling businessman Tomy Winata.
The packed courtroom erupted into cheers after the Central Jakarta District Court found deputy editor Iskandar Ali and reporter Ahmad Taufik innocent of all charges. Chanting "free press," supporters hoisted Taufik on their shoulders and carried him out of the courtroom.
"The judges acquit the defendants Ahmad Taufik and Iskandar Ali of all charges," Judge Suripto said. "The report is still false but the responsibility should not lie with the reporters but with the chief editor."
Prosecutors said they would appeal.
The case against the three Tempo journalists has been widely criticized as an attack on the Indonesian media, which is one of the freest in Asia but is vulnerable to intimidation and the vagaries of the country's legal system.
Chief editor Bambang Harimurti, Ali and Taufik were all charged with libel and "inciting unrest" under sections of Indonesia's criminal code that date back to the country's Dutch colonial era.
The charges relate to an article that alleged Winata, who has links to Indonesia's powerful military, may have been behind a huge fire that destroyed a textile market in Jakarta last year because he stood to gain from the contract to rebuild it.
Tempo published a denial by Winata in the article.
In a separate case in March, the magazine was ordered to pay Winata nearly $60,000 after being found guilty of libel in connection with the article.
Tempo is highly regarded in Indonesia because of its opposition to the rule of ex-dictator Suharto, who shut the magazine down in 1994. It reopened in 1999.
LELY T. DJUHARI, Associated Press Writer
(09-16) 00:50 PDT JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) --
An Indonesian court on Thursday acquitted two prominent reporters of libeling a wealthy businessman, the conclusion of a closely watched cased that is likely to encourage Indonesia's embattled press.
Later Thursday, the court was expected to issue a verdict on the editor of Tempo magazine, Indonesia's most prominent news magazine, who faces up to two years in jail on the same charges of libeling businessman Tomy Winata.
The packed courtroom erupted into cheers after the Central Jakarta District Court found deputy editor Iskandar Ali and reporter Ahmad Taufik innocent of all charges. Chanting "free press," supporters hoisted Taufik on their shoulders and carried him out of the courtroom.
"The judges acquit the defendants Ahmad Taufik and Iskandar Ali of all charges," Judge Suripto said. "The report is still false but the responsibility should not lie with the reporters but with the chief editor."
Prosecutors said they would appeal.
The case against the three Tempo journalists has been widely criticized as an attack on the Indonesian media, which is one of the freest in Asia but is vulnerable to intimidation and the vagaries of the country's legal system.
Chief editor Bambang Harimurti, Ali and Taufik were all charged with libel and "inciting unrest" under sections of Indonesia's criminal code that date back to the country's Dutch colonial era.
The charges relate to an article that alleged Winata, who has links to Indonesia's powerful military, may have been behind a huge fire that destroyed a textile market in Jakarta last year because he stood to gain from the contract to rebuild it.
Tempo published a denial by Winata in the article.
In a separate case in March, the magazine was ordered to pay Winata nearly $60,000 after being found guilty of libel in connection with the article.
Tempo is highly regarded in Indonesia because of its opposition to the rule of ex-dictator Suharto, who shut the magazine down in 1994. It reopened in 1999.