Candra Malik, Yogyakarta – The Alliance of Independent Journalists lambasted a military court over its decision to sentence a former district military chief to just four months in prison for kidnapping and beating a journalist.
Lt. Col. Lilik Sutikna, the former Karanganyar district military chief, was sentenced on Thursday for his attack on Solo Pos daily reporter Trioyono.
The case dates back to September when Triyono wrote about the trial of Toni Haryono, the husband of Karanganyar District head Rina Iriani. Toni stands accused of embezzling Rp 15 billion ($1.67 million) in government housing funds and channeling the money to political parties, police and military officials in the district.
According to Triyono's testimony, on Sept. 1, the day the story was published, "I was picked up by a military detective and taken to their headquarters.
"Lilik Sutikna beat me five times, grabbed my hair and threatened me in his office. He said that he would kill me and my family if I dared to write about the corruption case."
Seven days later, Lilik was removed from his post and detained for nearly three months.
The presiding judge said the defendant had been convincingly proven to have violated the Criminal Code in regards to persecution, and that it was appropriate that he had been removed from his post and held in jail before his trial.
"The military prosecutor's demand of three months in prison was not commensurate with the crime," Col. Reza Talib said. "Nor did it serve the interests of justice, so we decided to increase the punishment."
Lilik, who has already apologized personally to Triyono, said on Thursday that he was still contemplating an appeal.
Taking into account the time he has already spent in detention, Lilik, who is now serving in Central Java's Regional Military Command IV/Diponegoro, will have to spend another month and 10 days in prison.
Ichwan Prasetyo, head of advocacy at the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) in Surakarta, said the military tribunal should not look at the case solely as a criminal act, but also as a violation of press freedom.
"The judges only charged him under the article in the Criminal Code, not the articles relating to freedom of the press," he said.
"They have clearly indicated they are not in favor of free speech. We consider the verdict far too light, the defendant should be punished more harshly," he said.
Triyono, for his part, said he had already left the matter to the court's discretion. "I have personally forgiven Lilik," he said.
The verdict comes in the wake of international condemnation of the lenient prison sentences handed down to three soldiers involved in the torture of indigenous Papuans, documented in grisly video footage posted on YouTube last year.
On Monday, the three soldiers were each given less than a year in jail for insubordination by a military tribunal in Jayapura.