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| Southeast Asia |
| Aceh Women Arrested for Insulting President |
| 2002-07-20 |
| Seven young women belonging to a pro-democracy group in rebellious Aceh province have been arrested for insulting President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz. State news agency Antara said the members of the Women’s Organization for a Democratic Aceh (Orpad) were detained by police Tuesday in Banda Aceh city for displaying defaced pictures of Megawati and Haz during a street protest. The women, aged between 16 and 22, had drawn red crosses through the faces of the president and vice president to symbolize their rejection of the nation’s leaders. Indonesia claims to be a democracy, but the law forbids citizens from publicly expressing disrespect toward the president and government. Obviously, dangerous criminals like these need to be lucked up and the key thrown away. The crime's cut and dried, unlike, say, plotting to overthrow the governments of four countries and establish an Islamic caliphate. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |