Jailed Indonesian ex-Playboy editor walks free
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The former editor of Indonesia's version of Playboy magazine walked free Friday after the Supreme Court accepted his final appeal against indecency charges.
Erwin Arnada, 47, was jailed for two years in October after an indecency trial that received strong public support from Islamic conservatives.
"This shows that press freedom still exists in this country," Arnada told reporters after he stepped out of Cipinang prison in East Jakarta, his home for the past eight months.
"I don't consider myself a victim or a hero... I only hope that there won't be any criminalisation of the media in future."
Arnada's appeal rested on his argument that the conviction contravened laws guaranteeing press freedom and the spirit of democracy established after the fall of Suharto in 1998.
Only a handful of issues were published before hardliners forced it to close.
Arnada was initially acquitted in a lower court before hardliners petitioned the Supreme Court to review the decision.
The higher court convicted him in August last year, sparking a nationwide police manhunt and condemnation from press freedom watchdogs.
Under Indonesia's judicial system, Arnada was entitled to ask the Supreme Court to review its ruling, which resulted in his latest acquittal.
One of the petitioners in the case against the publisher was an Islamist gang known for armed attacks on minorities and moderates.
Lawmakers passed a controversial anti-pornography law in 2008 and the communications minister has started censoring the Internet, although hardcore pornography is widely available.
-AFP
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