Prosecutors file appeal against Prita's acquittal

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has filed an appeal against the decision of Tangerang District Court to acquit Prita Mulyasari, a housewife who had been indicted of libel for sending complaints about the Omni International Hospital’s poor service through the internet.
 
Prosecutors had accused her of defamation under an article of the Information Technology law. However, the court said that the law was not applicable because it does not take effect until the government issues accompanying regulations.
 
“We filed an appeal because we are sure the law is applicable,” said Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
 
Hendarman said that the prosecutors' office was not worried that their move would face harsh reaction from the public.
 
“It's a legal matter. Prosecutors have to be sure on their indictment,” he said.
 
Prita has been receiving unprecedented support from the public, ranging from a Facebook group, which now has over 350,000 members, to blogs and online discussions citing the unfairness of charges made by Omni. Print and television media covered the case, revealing her lamentations of being separated from her family.
 
The case also swiftly became a political issue in the midst of the upcoming presidential elections. Megawati Soekarnoputri, one of the hopefuls, visited Prita in prison, while her rival Jusuf Kalla stated his support for Prita on television.
 
Earlier this month, the AGO decided to replace Banten Prosecutors’ Office chief Dondy K Soedirman, after the office came under fire because of public outcry regarding the arrest.