Rock star's sex-tape case exposes strict porn laws

Trial ... Nazril "Ariel" Irham and his girlfriend, Luna Maya, yesterday.

Trial ... Nazril "Ariel" Irham and his girlfriend, Luna Maya, yesterday. Photo: AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesia's biggest rock star, Nazril ''Ariel'' Irham, has been sentenced to 3½ years in prison after personal sex videos were stolen from his laptop and went viral on the internet.

The two videos were not deliberately distributed, but the presiding judge, Singgih Budi Prakoso, said Nazril had shown no remorse and given ''an opportunity for others to spread, produce and prepare a pornographic video''.

It is the first time that someone has been sentenced under the anti-pornography laws introduced in 2008 at the instigation of the Islamist coalition partners of the President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The saga has captivated Indonesia and sparked hand-wringing about the explosion in the availability of pornography.

It has also sparked concerns about the rising power of religious conservatives, including gangs of violent hardliners who often act with impunity, including ransacking the offices of the modest local edition of Playboy magazine and forcing its closure.

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