PRD activist and student leader, Mohamad Sholeh, 23, who is a member of the PRD's student solidarity organisation SMID, in Surabaya has been sentenced to four years. The court declared that Sholeh, a fourth year student at a private university, had been found guilty of engaging in subversion by trying to undermine the state ideology.

The defendant and his lawyers immediately announced that they would appeal against the verdict. The prosecutor had asked for a five-year sentence. The court said that he, along with PRD leader Budiman Sudjatmiko had organised demonstrations with workers, students and peasants in Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi and Surabaya.

After the court hearing, as Sholeh was about to get into the vehicle to be driven back to prison, he was assaulted by a member of the public who had attended the trial and hit in the face. The security officials who were accompanying him did nothing to protect him or arrest his assailant.

One of Sholeh's lawyers, Indro Sugianto immediately submitted a complaint to the police who were responsible for security in the courtroom.

Another of his lawyers, Trimoelya Soerjadi, said he deeply regretted this incident and said he would be filing a complaint to the East Java military commander and chief of police because the security forces in charge did nothing at all to protect his client.