The Indonesian House of Representatives is poised to pass a bill that would criminalize viewing and distributing online pornography, imposing years in prison and hefty fines against offenders.
Playboy Indonesia's editor-in-chief has been cleared of charges of distributing indecent pictures to the public and making money from them, which could have led to a sentence of as long as 32 months.
An anti-pornography bill that was drafted by Indonesian lawmakers 10 years ago has been watered down from its original form. Indonesia’s parliamentary speaker said the bill was dialed down because it “could restrict freedom and threaten the country’s tolerant tradition.”
Havoc broke out in Indonesia Thursday after a judge closed to the public the trial of Playboy Indonesia's editor-in-chief, who faces indecency charges.
Local prosecutors have begun the indecency trial against Erwin Arnada, the embattled Editor-in-chief of Playboy Indonesia, who faces up to 32 months in prison if convicted on charges that he distributed indecent pictures and profited from the sale of those pictures.
The controversial issue of Playboy magazine that sparked protests in the predominantly Muslim nation of Indonesia and brought violent attacks on the company’s local headquarters has now landed the editor-in-chief and the centerfold model in legal hot water, as authorities officially declared them suspect in a criminal indecency case.
Playboy’s launch in the world’s most populous Muslim nation got off to a rocky start Wednesday when 300 people vandalized a building housing the magazine’s local offices.
Indonesian Muslims do not want the bunnies in their backyard. According to a report in the Jan. 13 edition of The Jakarta Post, the Muslim group Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia announced it plans a major coordination of protests if the magazine hits shelves as scheduled in March.
