Jakarta – Indonesian poet Saut Situmorang was taken by three Jakarta Police officers from his Yogyakarta home to testify in a libel case, his friends said on Thursday.

"I am ready to be questioned by police," Saut said as he was being escorted, as quoted by Merdeka.com. "My status is a witness. [The officers] came to pick me up. If I am a witness, why not question me here? Why must I be taken to Jakarta?"

The plainclothes officers visited Saut at his house at 8 a.m. on Thursday, his friends wrote on social media. The officers' presence compelled dozens of poets, essayists and authors to come to his home on Jalan Parangtritis in Yogyakarta in a show of support.

The officers argued that Saut had three times evaded summonses for questioning by the East Jakarta Police in a libel case filed against fellow poet Iwan Soekri Munaf.

On his Facebook page last year, Iwan criticized the inclusion of political pundit Denny Juniar Ali, founder of the Indonesian Survey Circle polling group, in a book titled "33 Most Influential Literary Figures in Indonesia."

The book puts Denny on a par with Indonesian literary giants like Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Chairil Anwar and Rendra. Iwan's post mentioned a female writer, Fatin Hamama, as someone who was responsible for the inclusion, calling her "a broker."

Fatin responded to the Facebook post and a heated argument ensued. Saut also wrote in the discussion thread telling Iwan not to respond to a "bajingan," the Indonesian equivalent of a "scumbag."

Fatin reported Iwan to the police for slander and Saut for "unpleasant conduct." Both are also accused of violating the notorious Internet and Electronic Transactions Law.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul confirmed that Saut had been "forcibly summoned" by police but denied that police would try to detain him as his friends suspected.

Several of Saut's friends wrote on social media that Saut initially refused to be taken to Jakarta, saying that he wished to be questioned in Yogyakarta.

Saut even phoned his lawyers when police insisted, his friends wrote. The poet eventually agreed and was taken to Yogyakarta's Tugu train station at around 1 p.m. where he and the officers boarded a train to Jakarta.

Poet Puthut Ea wrote on his Facebook page that Saut's summons was a serious setback to freedom of speech.

"This issue is not just about Saut, but the encroachment on the freedom of expression [...] how intolerant we are toward different opinions and expressions," he said. "Today Saut [has fallen victim]. Tomorrow, it could be one of us. It could be our children."

Saut said he was ready to defend remarks made by Iwan and himself. "I am ready to fight back," he said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/online-war-of-words-lands-poet-in-police-cusstody/