Jakarta, Sep 18 (Xinhua) Time magazine is likely file for a case review after the Indonesian Supreme Court ordered the magazine to pay former president Soeharto one trillion rupiahs ($106 million) for defamation, local media reported Tuesday.
“The court’s decision is absurd since many media outlets have published similar articles about the Soeharto family’s corruption, collusion and nepotism,” Time’s Indonesian lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post.
His client will wait for a copy of the ruling to decide if there are other grounds, which would support a case review.
Todung said the court’s decision would harm press freedom in Indonesia since the Time article on Soeharto’s family, which was found to be defamatory, rested on principles of thorough investigation and balanced reporting.
“One basis that could be used is court error in interpreting the law, since the court did not follow the laws that apply specifically to the press,” Todung said, adding that the article was on a matter of importance to the public.