T

he police questioned on Thursday activists from two civil society organizations as witnesses in a defamation case against Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto confirmed that Haris Azhar of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and Ade Irawan of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) were questioned as witnesses against the minister.

'€œYes, they were questioned to clarify several issues in a report filed against the minister,'€ he said.

The civil society group Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) filed a report against Tedjo on Jan. 23. Fakta chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan accused Tedjo of violating Articles 310 and 311 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on defamation for calling the groundswell of support for the embattled Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) during the peak of its standoff with the National Police an expression of aspirations from '€œnondescript people'€.

As evidence, when filing the complaint, Azas brought news articles carrying Tedjo'€™s remarks and called on Tedjo to own up to his mistake.

The maximum sentence for those found guilty of defamation is nine months in prison or a fine of Rp 400,000 (US$30.80).

Speaking to reporters after his questioning, Haris said that police investigators had asked him 20 questions about Tedjo'€™s remark.

'€œI was questioned about Tedjo'€™s remarks. Specifically about the time when protesters gathered at the KPK headquarters on Jan. 23 to stage a demonstration,'€ he said.

Haris said that the main focus of the questions was to determine whether Azas was in fact one of the people who gathered on Jan. 23, joining the rally to protest the police force'€™s controversial move to arrest and name as a suspect then KPK commissioner Bambang Widjojanto for perjury.

He said that the investigators had asked him to bring photographs from the rally as proof that Azas was indeed in the crowd that Tedjo had allegedly defamed.

'€œI was summoned as a witness for Azas because he felt that, as part of the crowd, the minister'€™s comment was insensitive and a personal affront,'€ Haris said.

Many have expressed outrage over Tedjo'€™s remarks, which they deemed ill-informed and insensitive.

Speaking after his questioning, Ade said he was also asked the same questions by the police.

Ade also said that Tedjo should be more careful when making statements in future given his position as a public official.

Recently, the police have pursued several defamation cases eventually brought to court by prosecutors, including the recent case against Ervani Emy Handayani who made a slanderous statement on Facebook.

A defamation case was also brought against Gadjah Mada University graduate student Florence Sihombing for posting allegedly libelous remarks about Yogyakarta and its residents on her Path account last year.