Prosecutors today demanded a Jakarta court punish the editor of Playboy Indonesiawith a two-year jail term for distributing indecent pictures to the public and making money from them.
The magazine's first edition sparked protests in Indonesia last April, although it had no nudity and less flesh visible in the issue than many other magazines on sale in the world's most populous Muslim country.
Indonesian Muslim women protest at a South Jakarta court last week
Editor-in-chief Erwin Arnada has argued Playboy Indonesiawas good for developing a pluralistic society in the country.
But the prosecution and Islamic hardliners who have regularly attended his trial since late last year said he had "harmed the nation's morals".
"The pictures selected by the defendant were improper for publication because they violated decency and aroused lust," prosecutor Resni Muchtar told the South Jakarta court.
More than 100 Muslim protesters in the courtroom criticised the prosecution for being soft, shouting "Hang him, Hang him".
Subsequent editions of the magazine are still on sale in Indonesian cities despite attacks on its Jakarta office after the April launch. There has been no government move to ban it.
The controversy itself has faded after Playboy Indonesiamoved operations to Bali, a Hindu enclave where conservative Islam has little clout.