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Five months sought for Facebooker
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Yusniar, a defendant in a defamation case concerning a Facebook status, kisses the ground on Nov. 24, 2016 after the Makassar District Court in South Sulawesi suspended her detention and changed it to city arrest. (JP/Andi Hajramurni)
P
rosecutors at the Makassar District Court in South Sulawesi demanded that a 27-year-old housewife named Yusniar be sentenced to five months in jail for alleged defamation.
Prosecutor Neng Marlinawati argued that Yusniar was guilty of violating the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law by writing a defamatory comment on her Facebook page and should be remanded in custody.
Yusniar was initially detained on Oct. 2 but the Makassar District Court ordered that she be put under city arrest on Nov. 24.
Her case began when Sudirman Sijaya, a Jeneponto Legislative Council member, who is also apparently a lawyer, filed a police report against Yusniar for a remark she made on her Facebook page. The post, which did not mention any names, came a day after her parents’ house was attacked by 100 people, allegedly including Sudirman.
Yusniar has been charged under the 2008 ITE Law and the Criminal Code (KUHP) for alleged defamation, which carry a maximum penalty of six years in prison.
(Read also: Yusniar walks out of prison, meets family)
Yusniar has denied the charges, saying she and her family were victims as strangers had attempted to damage and seize their house. She testified that she did not intend to insult anyone but had commented on her Facebook page to vent her frustration.
“I did not mention any names in my status. I shouldn’t be punished, I’m the victim here,” she said.
The trial was adjourned for two weeks, when the court will hear Yusniar’s defense plea.
