Court frees journalist over defamation case

Makassar District Court on Monday freed journalist Jupriadi “Upi” Asmaradhana for being proven to have not been involved in a defamation case toward former Central Sulawesi police chief Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto.

During today's court trial, presiding judge Parlas Nababan said that the defendant was not guilty and freed him of all charges.

Previously, state prosecutors had demanded the judges to sentence the defendant to one year in jail for allegedly violating article 317 of the Criminal Code by intentionally making untrue declarations to ruin someone's reputation.

After the verdict was read out, prosecutors said they would take some time to decide whether or not to file for an appeal.

“This (the verdict) is a symbol for press freedom,” Upi said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. (ewd)