Editor charged with blasphemy
2006-02-10 13:58
Jakarta - Indonesian police said on Friday that they had charged the chief editor of a weekly tabloid with blasphemy for reprinting cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad.
Suwignyo, a police officer in Bekasi, east of Jakarta, said Imam Tri Karso Hadi, chief-editor of Peta, could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison if convicted.
The little-known tabloid had withdrawn 3 000 copies of the edition carrying the cartoons, which accompanied a story on the global controversy surrounding the drawings, first published in Denmark last year and since widely reprinted.
Muslims regarded the cartoons as offensive, as Islamic tradition prohibited any images of the prophet.
'Summon our ambassador in Denmark'
Protests against the drawings continued on Friday in Indonesia with more than 1 000 Muslims rallying in Cirebon, West Java, urging the government to sever diplomatic ties with Denmark.
Protest leader Hasan Bajri was quoted as saying: "Summon our ambassador in Denmark and immediately sever diplomatic relations with that country because the caricatures have hurt the feelings of Muslims."
About 300 protestors picketed the Danish consulate in Medan city in North Sumatra.
Denmark had temporarily closed its missions in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and had warned its nationals to leave the country amid protests staged for the past week.
Security concerns about the safety of Danish nationals prompted the cancellation of a friendly badminton match between Indonesia and Denmark as part of preparations for the Thomas Cup championship.
- AFP