Indonesia Jails 2 Reporters in Crackdown on Media
Two Indonesian reporters, both members of an underground association opposing official efforts to corral the country’s media, were sent to jail Friday for 32 months each for showing hatred against the government.
Achmad Taufik, 30, and Eko Maryadi, 27, were the first journalists to be jailed since a crackdown on the media began more than a year ago.
As the verdict was delivered, dozens of student activists and journalists hurled abuse at Judge Madjono, calling him “stupid” and “bootlicker.”
Madjono and the two other judges hurried from the Jakarta courtroom as protesters climbed onto their bench, shouting “Freedom, freedom!”
In pronouncing the court’s verdict, Madjono said: “The defendants are proven guilty of publicly showing hatred against the legal government. They are also guilty of using the press for their own personal interest. What the defendants have done can disturb the stability and divide the nation’s unity.”
Indonesia tightened its grip on the media in June, 1994, when it closed down three outspoken political weeklies, and has since restricted coverage of sensitive issues.
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