Samsudin Berlian, Jakarta – The jailing more than two years ago of two journalists who defied the Indonesian government by publishing an unlicensed magazine was hardly a surprise. But their recent release has baffled many.

To the surprise of the journalistic community here, authorities freed Eko Maryadi and Ahmad Taufik from separate prisons in West Java on Jul 19.

There was no explanation for the release of the two, both founding members of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), who were sentenced to three years in prison in March 1995.

But rumours here have it that Western governments and donors had sought their release. Some had it that the new information minister had a hand in it, or that South African President Nelson Mandela requested it during his recent visit to Indonesia.

Whatever the case, Eko, 29, and Taufik, 32 walked out from their prisons in Cirebon and Kuningan unrepentant and defiant.

"I come out the same person I came in," Eko told IPS.

"It seems that this is the time when the government wants to show off their leniency (on the press) to the world," said Dewi Novirianti of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, which defended the journalists during their trial.

However, it was not clear if their release would pave the way for the freedom of another journalist, Andy Syahputra, who was arrested in October last year. Syahputra, a supporter of the opposition democracy movement, owned a small printing press in Jakarta, where police seized 5,000 copies of 'Suara Independen' (The Voice of Independence), a clandestine publication that replaced the magazine 'Indepeden' that Eko and Taufik used to put out before their arrest.

Eko and Taufik were separately arrested in March 1995 for circulating the unlicensed 'Independen', published by the AJI. They since spent two years and four months in various prisons until their conditional release about two weeks ago.

Freed eight months shy of their full prison terms, they are however required to report regularly to the police and prosecutor's office.

They vowed to continue to work for a freer press in Indonesia and both are bracing themselves for a long struggle as they expect the political situation not to change much, "even after he's gone", Taufik says, referring to President Suharto, who has been in power for 30 years and looks poised to stay for more.

Their saga began when the influential news magazine 'Tempo' – where both earlier worked – and two other magazines were banned in June 1994. This sparked demonstrations and the birth of a new form of opposition: the alternative media.

After 'Tempo' was banned, the 'Indepeden' gained prominence and credibility. It was the brainchild of AJI, an organisation of independent journalists formed in reaction to the government clampdown on the media.

The magazine openly taunted the government, listing the names of its editorial board members, its address, and its bank account just like any other respectable publication.

Taufik, then AJI president, and Eko were actively involved in the preparation and publication of the magazine that dwelt on areas no licensed publications dared touch.

In its 10th issue, the magazine divulged the shares owned by then information minister Harmoko in more than 30 companies and claimed he obtained many of them through abuse of power. The issue was later used as proof of defamation against them in court.

Taufik and Eko were arrested on the night the magazine's 12th edition came out. Taufik was picked up from his apartment, while Eko was taken by police during a raid on AJI's office. An office messenger, Danang Kukuh Wardoyo, was separately arrested and later sentenced to 20-month imprisonment. Taufik and Eko were charged with inciting hatred and hostility toward the government – a legal relic from the colonial rule – and for publishing an unlicensed publication.

The two viewed the court proceedings as a farce, believing that their expression in media of issues objectionable to the government had been proof enough for judges to find them guilty.

"This only showed how weak the regime really was, so much so that it needed to exert its power in the smallest matter, even in the fate of an office boy," Taufik said.

They were sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, but a higher court later increased the sentence to three years. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling.

Though moved from one prison to another, they were relatively free to read and write. Their articles appeared in almost every edition of 'Suara Independen', being published by the Indonesian Movement of Supporters of the Alternative Press. The movement's offices are believed to be in Australia, according to the Paris-based 'Reporters San Frontieres'.

For Taufik, the darkest moment came when they were moved from a prison in Jakarta to the one in Cirebon last August. "We were gathered in the middle of the night at gunpoint, and handcuffed. I did not know what was going on. The guards acted threateningly. And when the truck went through the woods, I feared summary execution," Taufik recounted.

"When we arrived, I almost got beaten for refusing to strip naked in front of everybody," he added.

The slender Taufik is cherishing his new freedom together with his wife and son, who was only 10 days old when he was arrested. Taufik plans to join a licensed media outfit "for I need a steady income to support my family".

"The imprisonment was a stopover in my life," he said. "I am not a brave man. I was a victim by accident. It could have happened to anyone."

Eko plans to write a book about his prison life, while working for a freer society through the media. But he is not inclined to join any licensed media. "I'd rather publish (an unlicensed publication). Easy," he said. "Don't ever beg for press freedom from the government. Just do it."