A

ug. 19, 2015, p2

The Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court'€™s conviction of child sexual abuse that sentenced five contracted cleaners at the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS) to seven and eight years'€™ imprisonment.

The Supreme Court'€™s online website, kepaniteraan.mahkamahagung.go.id, showed that the cassation filed by Zainal Abidin, Syahrial, Agun Iskandar, Virgiawan Amin and Afrischa Setyani had been turned down by the panel of judges chaired by Sumardijatmo on July 28.

Patra M. Zen, the lawyer representing Zainal, Syahrial, Agun and Virgiawan, confirmed Tuesday that his clients'€™ cassation appeal had been rejected, and added that he was waiting for the court to send him a copy of the verdict before taking any further action. He said that he learned about the verdict only a few days before Tuesday.

'€œOnce we get the official copy, we will start to draft our judicial review,'€ Patra said adding that he was still certain that the cleaners were convicted of a crime they did not commit.

Your comments:

This is a disgrace. The child was never abused. That'€™s what the medical records from Singapore say, that there was no proof of abuse.

These poor men were tortured until they confessed and now the Supreme Court has thrown them under the bus too.

Lasem Benny

In Eastern countries the rights of society supersede the rights of the individual, so some individuals can be sacrificed if it is felt that this will benefit wider societal cohesion.

That is maybe the thinking here, the complete storm that would be unleashed by further bashing the police is far more harmful than six people staying in prison for a few years.

JLC

Like I commented in reference to the article on freeing the teachers. This doesn'€™t surprise me. The court blackened an eye of the police with their release; it will not further humiliate the police so they can keep their image. Indonesia, give and take. Take some more.

Simaging

Someone has to take the blame. Why not sacrifice these locals who don'€™t have the resources, connection or power to defend themselves?

What chance do they have against the mighty and powerful police? I think.

Chotto Matte

The courts and police don'€™t care about guilt or innocence, it'€™s about political and financial gain. Since they are local Indonesians, they do not have the American or any other embassy to fight for their cause.

Same case, same medical evidence that a crime was not committed, yet these presumed innocent people are still in prison.

The crimes that were committed were done by a few greedy parents, the police by torture and the judicial system.

Willo

The alternative would have the police explain their alleged part in the death of an innocent person, and we can'€™t have that, can we?  

Besides, the international outcry should have eased with the release of the two teachers, so the cleaners can stay where they are. They are only insignificant pawns anyway; it'€™s not as though they have a voice in this society.

Boho

Disgraceful and sad news. I guess the police force and judicial system will never be held accountable for bad work.

Iaintordoff