More than 300,000 people in Indonesia have joined a protest on networking site Facebook against last week's arrest of two anti-graft body officers, and students plan street rallies for the same cause today.
Police arrested Corruption Eradication Commission deputies Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Rianto on allegations they abused their power when they issued travel bans against targets
of corruption investigations.
of corruption investigations.
Anti-graft groups and religious leaders have accused the national police of using the case to weaken the KPK, as the agency is known.
The online protest was created by Usman Yasin, a lecturer at Muhammadiyah University in
Bengkulu on Sumatra Island.
Bengkulu on Sumatra Island.
The case against the KPK officers and increasing public comment have put pressure on Yudhoyono, who started his second term on Oct. 20 pledging to end corruption in state agencies to attract more investment.
Indonesia ranks 126th in Transparency International's corruption-perception index for 2008, up from 143 a year earlier but lower than Nigeria and Vietnam.
In an Oct. 30 televised address, Yudhoyono said if he interferes with the case, the justice system will be ripped apart, adding he let police and prosecutors build the case.
Police Response Two hours after the president' s speech, Danuri held a press briefing in which he denied the investigation was manufactured.
Police named Hamzah and Rianto as suspects in September after receiving tips from KPK chief Antasari Azhar, who is now on trial for allegedly orchestrating a murder, that there were
irregularities in how the agency issues travel bans. Yudhoyono suspended Hamzah and Rianto on Sept. 21. They remained free as long as they reported their whereabouts to police.
The Oct. 29 arrest was prompted by media briefings at the KPK office, sometimes televised live, defending the suspects and criticizing how police handled the case.
irregularities in how the agency issues travel bans. Yudhoyono suspended Hamzah and Rianto on Sept. 21. They remained free as long as they reported their whereabouts to police.
The Oct. 29 arrest was prompted by media briefings at the KPK office, sometimes televised live, defending the suspects and criticizing how police handled the case.
KPK and its partner, the Corruption Crimes Court, were formed less than six years ago as an alternative to pursuing cases through Indonesia's regular justice system.
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