The Indonesian government sentenced Baiq Nuril Maknun of six months in prison after she was convicted of spreading indecent materials. The said indecent material is a telephone conversation with her head teacher, whom she accused of sexual harassment involving unwanted sexual advances. Using the recording as evidence, one of Maknun's colleagues filled an official complaint against the head teacher.
Maknun's conviction was brought upon by Indonesia's Supreme Court in Jakarta on Thursday. According to the ruling, Maknun was guilty of recording and spreading indecent material and that she violated the country's electronic information and transaction law.
An Indonesian court spokesperson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the Supreme Court judges were satisfied with the evidence presented that Maknun violated the law. The judges sentenced Maknun to a six-month prison sentence. The court also ordered Maknun to pay 500 million rupiahs in fine the original acquittal verdict from a lower court in 2017 was overturned.
The sentence made an uproar in Indonesia, especially among civil rights activists. Following the issuance of the sentence, Amnesty International executive director Usman Hamid said that Maknun was painted as a criminal after she made steps in order "redress the abuse she experienced." Mr. Hamid also described the court ruling as a "travesty."
Maidina Rahmawati who works for the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, a non-profit organization based in Jakarta, said that the ruling might deter other sexual abuse victims from reporting future abuses. She added that the Supreme Court ruling is an example of how the law can be used against vulnerable women who are just trying to make ways in order to protect themselves.
According to an Indonesian government survey published last year, one-third of Indonesian women have faced sexual and physical abuses in the country. This led to a national outcry that condemns abusers. The survey also prompted both the government and non-profit organizations to make necessary actions in order to mitigate, if not stop, these abuses.
The recent court ruling, due to the intense public interest, was delivered in a closed-door deliberation on Sept. 26. The ruling was only made public this week after uncertainties that it might result in a public backlash. The Indonesian government has yet to comment about inquiries regarding the decision to postpone the release of court documents to the public.
Maknun's lawyer Joko Jumadi said that their camp will file for a judicial review in order to challenge the Supreme Court ruling. Mr. Jumadi insisted that his client was the victim and that they demand justice.
