Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – The tightly guarded first court hearing of singer Nazril Ilham, or Ariel, on Monday was marred by rallies staged by those condemning him for his alleged involvement in scandalous sex videos as well by those supporting him.
More than 600 police personnel secured the trial, which was preceded by another trial involving the Peterpan vocalist's song editor, identified only as Rj. Rj has been charged with uploading the sex videos onto the internet.
The videos, which were circulated publicly, feature figures who appear to be Ariel, girlfriend Luna Maya and TV host Cut Tary in separate clips. The three have admitted their roles.Hundreds of journalists covered the much-awaited trial since the National Police Headquarters officially detained Ariel on June 21.
Ariel, wearing a gray shirt covered by the red vest, then sat as a defendant in the courtroom, which was occupied by 10 lawyers, 10 prosecutors, court employees and a few police personnel.
Public prosecutors read out the multiple charges against Ariel, such as violating Law No.44/2008 on pornography for producing, duplicating and distributing pornographic materials.
Prosecutor Rusmanto said Ariel could be sentenced to between six months and 12 years and fined between Rp 250 million (about US$25,000) and Rp 6 billion if found guilty. He said he would present 30 witnesses, including Luna Maya and Cut Tary, to defend the charges.
Outside the court, two groups of demonstrators took opposing stances over the case. The Indonesian Muslim Forum (FUI), affiliating seven Islamic organizations and assisted by the Hajar non-governmental organization from Jakarta, gathered at the eastern entrance of the courthouse and urged judges to hold an open trial and hand down a fair sentence.
They unfurled various protest banners, two of which read: "Stop Pornography, Stop HIV" and "Punish Ariel, Luna and Tary Severely".
On the other hand, Ariel's fans, which included dozens of young women, rallied at the western entrance of the courthouse. They carried banners, one reading "Free Ariel, Uphold Justice". "He is a victim legal-wise, and is not guilty. His has faced social justice and people have forgiven him," said rally coordinator Indra Permana.
Ariel's lawyers asked the judges to view Ariel as a victim rather than a perpetrator. "Ariel is a victim and not a perpetrator. He should be protected as a victim by the state. Don't let him be judged by the public before going through the legal process," Aga Khan, one of the lawyers, said after the hearing.
Separately, in a court cell, Rj, who edited Peterpan's songs at a studio in Antapani, Bandung, denied he had uploaded the videos. He said Ariel must have unintentionally copied the videos when he was copying a song in 2006.