An Indonesian court has sentenced two British journalists to short jail terms after finding them guilty of violating immigration laws by trying to make a documentary in the country without the correct visas.
A prosecutor had asked the court to jail Neil Bonner, 32, and Rebecca Prosser, 31, for five months and fine them 50m rupiah (£2,400).
But the judge on the western island of Batam handed down a lesser sentence of two-and-a-half months, saying the defendants had admitted their guilt and apologised.
The pair, who have been detained since May, could now walk free after time spent in custody awaiting trial is taken into account.
“The defendants have been proven legally and convincingly guilty as foreigners who have violated staying permits in indonesia,” the presiding judge, Wahyu Prasetyo Wibowo, told the packed district court.
Bonner and Prosser were arrested by the Indonesian navy on 28 May on the island of Batam, where
they were shooting a documentary about piracy in the Malacca Straits for the London-based production company Wall to Wall, with funding from National Geographic TV.
Nine local people involved in the documentary were also arrested but released on bail two days later. They face up to two years in prison or significant fines.
No comments:
Post a Comment