Bambang has been charged for spreading hatred against President Joko Widodo, through posts on his Facebook account, the prosecutor remarked.
"The defendant is guilty of violating article 28 (2) Law No. 19/2006 on electronic information and transaction, article 64 (1) of criminal code," public prosecutor Dafit Supriyanto said during the trial in Blora court.
The defendant, he noted, had defamed the Indonesian President and Hendropriyono, former chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), with his book which is not based on valid data and references.
He has created restlessness among the public and sparked hatred against individual and the community based on ethnic, religion, race and inter-group, the prosecutor said.
The panel of judges, led by judge Makmurin Kusumastuti, stated the defendant had the opportunity to convey his plea on May 15.
Meanwhile, Bambang has asked the judges to provide an audio visual device in the next trial to support his plea.
Bambang, a resident of Jambangan village, Blora, wrote in his book that Jokowi and Vice President Jusuf Kalla were elected in 2014 because of the success of the press institutions in fooling the public.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
