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Nuril makes final plea to Jokowi
She has exhausted all legal avenues available to her, leaving only an amnesty from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo that can set her free.
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Participants of Kamisan, a silent protest held every Thursday in front the Presidential Palace to call on the government to resolve past human rights abuse cases, voice their support for Baiq Nuril Maknun, a 37-year-old teacher in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) who was convicted of defaming a man she accused of sexually harassing her. (ANTARA/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
A
woman convicted on defamation charges for speaking up against her alleged abuser is pinning her last hope on the President after the Supreme Court has turned down an appeal to challenge her conviction.
In a verdict that reflects the country’s weak protection for women, the court has rejected a case review petition filed by Baiq Nuril Maknun, a former state high school employee in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, who had taped allegedly offensive remarks from Muslim, her former boss, and distributed them.
As Nuril is on course to serving six months behind bars and paying a fine of Rp 500 million (about US$34,650), the man still walks free since the sexual harassment case that she filed against him has been ignored.
She has exhausted all legal avenues available to her, leaving only an amnesty from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo that can set her free.
“Bapak President, my appeal is rejected. I beg that you keep your word to grant me amnesty. This is my last hope,” Nuril wrote her plea to the President on a piece of paper sent to him.
In a ruling dated July 4, a panel of three justices rejected her plea and maintained that Nuril was guilty of distributing a recording of a reportedly lewd phone call between her and Muslim, then-principal of SMA 7 Mataram state senior high school.
