Balinese musician I Gede Ari Astina, most popularly known as Jerinx, had his sentence reduced to 10 months following an appeal, an official from the Denpasar District Court confirmed today.
Jerinx was found guilty of hate speech last November after a controversial trial, after which he was sentenced to 14 months in prison.
“The decision on the appeal from the Denpasar High Court for defendant I Gede Ari Astina or Jerinx came out on Jan. 14, 2021. He is still guilty, [but his sentence was reduced] to 10 months,” Sobandi, Denpasar District Court Chief, said today.
In November, Jerinx was found guilty of spreading hate speech against the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) through social media. Last June, the 43-year-old drummer of arguably Indonesia’s biggest pop-punk band Superman Is Dead (SID) accused IDI on an Instagram post of being “flunkeys” to the World Health Organization (WHO) out of his frustration that pregnant women were required to undergo rapid tests for COVID-19 prior to delivery.
Following his guilty verdict, both the prosecutor and Jerinx’s legal representative filed appeals. Prosecutors had previously demanded three years in prison for the defendant, and argued after the November verdict that “the judges’ decision has not been a deterrent for the defendant or the public to be careful when using social media.”
The prosecutors have until Jan. 21 to appeal the latest court decision.
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