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Gerindra wants President's critics jailed

Source
Jakarta Post - March 27, 2013

The Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party wants to revise the Criminal Code (KUHP) to reinstate an article to punish those who insult the President.

Gerindra lawmaker Martin Hutabarat said that it would be fair for the President to be protected from insults, as all private citizens are protected from libel. "Even the defamation of a dead person can result in a sentence of one year in prison, let alone the President," Martin said as quoted by kompas.com.

The latest draft to revise the Code would sentence those convicted of insulting the President to up to five years' in prison.

Martin, however, said that the maximum jail term for the offense should only be one year. Gerindra Party is expected to nominate its chief patron Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo as presidential candidate in the 2014 poll.

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