Indonesian Court Dismisses Case Against Playboy Editor

An Indonesian court has ruled that the editor of the Indonesian version of Playboy magazine did not violate the country's indecency laws.

The presiding judge at the South Jakarta district court dismissed the case today (Thursday) against Erwin Arnada, saying the prosecution failed to take into account Indonesia's laws protecting freedom of speech.

Supporters hailed the ruling as a victory for media freedom, while opponents argued that the verdict failed to protect women from exploitation.

About 200 Islamic demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse where hundreds of police officers armed with water cannon were deployed to prevent possible violence. Demonstrations were peaceful.

The court case was over a toned-down version of the U.S. magazine that was launched in Indonesia last April. The Indonesian Playboy included pictures of scantily clad women, but no nudity.

一家印度尼西亚法庭裁决，印尼版的美国《花花公子》杂志的主编没有违反印尼的涉及有伤风化的法律。

南雅加达地区法院的主审法官星期四驳回了针对安纳达的讼案。法官说，检察官没有考虑印尼保护言论自由的法律。

支持者欢迎这项裁决，认为这是媒体自由的胜利，不过反对派认为，这项裁决没有保护妇女免受剥削。

法庭外面聚集了约200名伊斯兰示威群众，数百名配备高压水龙的警察严阵以待，以防止出现可能的暴力，不过示威活动是和平进行的。

这个案件围绕着去年四月推出的，格调比较收敛的印尼版美国杂志《花花公子》，这个印尼版杂志载有一些衣着暴露但非裸体的女性照片。