Jakarta editor could face trial over prophet cartoons

JAKARTA, July 21 (Reuters) An Indonesian journalist being investigated for publishing controversial cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammad last year is likely to face trial, his lawyer said today.

Prosecutors detained Teguh Santosa, chief editor of the online version of mass-market Rakyat Merdeka newspaper, on Wednesday as they finalised a blasphemy case against him.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, is officially secular, but has laws banning religious insults.

If the case reaches court and judges find Santosa guilty of blasphemy, he can face up to five years' jail.

Santosa was released a day later following criticism from journalists and government officials, and after the defence team filed a formal complaint.

''Yesterday, my request was approved. The suspect did not publish the caricatures to influence people. We are now waiting whether the prosecutors would file charges to the court or not,'' said lawyer Rawi Syahroni.

Local media today reported Attorney-General Abdul Rahman Saleh thought Santosa's detention was unnecessary.

The caricatures first appeared last September in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten and Rakyat Merdeka published them on its Web site the next month without sparking much protest.

However, the reprinting of the cartoons on Rakyat Merdeka's Web site and other media outlets elsewhere in the world early this year triggered violent protests by Muslims worldwide, including in Jakarta.

More than 85 percent of Indonesia's 220 million people follow Islam. Most Indonesian Muslims are moderate, but public concern on Islamic issues and militancy have grown in recent years.

REUTERS DCA HT1855