Erwin Arnada, the Editor in Chief of Playboy magazine in Indonesia, has been found not guilty of indecency on Thursday. According to a recent report, the verdict angered conservative Muslims who have been fighting to ban the magazine since its appearance last year.
"This is not only a victory for Playboy, this is a victory for all of the press in Indonesia," Arnada told the International Herald Tribune. "This decision will become a legal precedent."
During a six-month trial, prosecution had pushed for Arnada to be jailed on indecency charges for selling nude pictures, but the judge rejected those arguments, saying that the Indonesian version of Playboy did not include nudity. Presiding judge Erfan Basuning also noted that such a prosecution would violate freedom of the press.
According to the International Herald Tribune, members of hard-line Islamic organizations stood outside the courtroom and chanted "This country has become a pornographic country," after learning of the outcome.
The magazine's Indonesian launch caused a stir in the predominantly Muslim nation, prompting the publisher to relocate its offices from the capital of Jakarta to the more liberal resort island of Bali.
"The judge remained objective throughout the trial, even though there was so much pressure from hard-line Muslim organizations," added Arnada.
Photo Courtesy of AP.
