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Possible cancellation of Sitok rape case condemned
The possibility that the Jakarta Police may have to drop a rape case involving poet Sitok Srengenge due to a reported lack of evidence has been condemned as a disgrace to law enforcement in the country
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he possibility that the Jakarta Police may have to drop a rape case involving poet Sitok Srengenge due to a reported lack of evidence has been condemned as a disgrace to law enforcement in the country.
Sitok, 48, was accused of raping, and ultimately impregnating, a 22-year old University of Indonesia student in 2013 when the poet was asked by the student to help her with her thesis.
The Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI) secretary general Dian Kartika Sari said that if the police were to halt the case, it would further tarnish the image of Indonesia's law enforcement, which once vowed to handle sexual assault cases more seriously.
'The cancellation of the case would be counterproductive to efforts at solving other sexual assault cases. It will look as if the police are not serious about these cases,' Dian told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
She added that in order for the case to continue being investigated, the victim's legal team must be the party which makes the largest effort in bringing the case to court.
'Evidence in sexual assault cases emerges progressively; it cannot be presented wholly in one instant. The legal team must focus on the evidence if the police are [considering] calling it off because of that reason,' she said.
The case, which was first reported in December 2013, has failed to produce sufficient witnesses or expert-witness testimony to support the victim's accusations. The apparently uncooperative behavior of the victim is also reportedly affecting the case as well.
In July, Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said the victim had promised to hand over her phone, which contained messages from Sitok, to the police as evidence. However, Rikwanto said that a month had passed and the victim had not yet submitted the phone.
Rikwanto said on Tuesday that Sitok's legal status could not be determined as a case evaluation was due to take place this week.
Separately, the victim's lawyer, Iwan Pangka denied reports that the case would be dismissed and claimed the police had no right to issue an investigation-desist letter before Sitok's case evaluation was held.
'I have just liaised with the police, and they say the case is still ongoing. We haven't even entered the case evaluation stage yet, how can it be dropped?' Iwan said on Monday as quoted by Kompas.com.
He added that the decision whether to continue the case or not would be determined after the evaluation. (dyl)
