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By Bryan Li
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In September, former President Suharto of Indonesia won a Supreme Court ruling in a libel suit against TIME magazine, ordering the periodical to pay US $106 million in damages in connection with an article published in the magazine. The article in question was a 1999 investigative piece on how Suharto and his children had enriched themselves during his 32-year rule as President, BBC News reports. |
The TIME magazine Asian edition article claimed that the Suharto family amassed a US $15 billion fortune during his three decades in power until his ousting in 1998, the Wall Street Journal writes.
In announcing their verdict, the court overruled two previous rulings on the lawsuit by lower courts in 2000 and 2001.
The day following the unfavourable verdict, TIME responded in an article by saying: “This is a blow to freedom of the press, and it means it is not safe for the press to work," Todung Mulya Lubis, an Indonesian lawyer representing TIME is quoted as saying. The magazine also reaffirmed that it stands by the original article.
TIME magazine has said they will fight the ruling, according to the BBC News. "We will use all means available to challenge this decision," Mr Lubis told during a news conference… what is at stake here is not only TIME but also the freedom of the press."
In a separate case, Indonesia’s long delayed civil lawsuit seeking US $1.54 billion from the former President in damages and stolen funds, commenced in August after long delays due to his ill health, the International Herald Tribune reports.