President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has sent a letter recommending amnesty for Baiq Nuril Makmun, a West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) woman convicted for defaming her alleged sexual harasser, to the House of Representatives.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly confirmed that the President had sent a State Secretariat official with the letter to the House on Monday afternoon.

“We will await the consideration of the House,” he told reporters on Monday.

House secretary-general Indra Iskandar confirmed that he had received the letter and that it would be read at the House’s plenary meeting on Tuesday.

Upon hearing the news, Nuril, a 42-year-old mother of three, burst into tears, as shown in a video posted by Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) coordinator Damar Juniarto on Twitter.

Rieke Diah Pitaloka, an Indonesian Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker who had advocated for Nuril since her appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court, thanked all those who had supported Nuril’s efforts to obtain amnesty.

“Thank you, all the people of Indonesia. This is not just about one person; this will act as a precedent, so that what Baiq Nuril experienced will not be experienced by others,” she said.

Earlier on Monday, Nuril visited the Presidential Palace and met with Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko to hand him a letter for Jokowi, in which she described her struggle for freedom.

At the same occasion, Moeldoko received copies of petitions and letters signed by members of the public in cooperation with civil society groups, all of whom are pushing for Nuril to be granted amnesty, as they see her as a victim that should be protected.

A presidential amnesty is Nuril’s last hope after the Supreme Court rejected her petition for a review of her legal case, in which she was found guilty of violating Article 27 of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law.

The Supreme Court’s earlier decision in September overturned a lower court’s not-guilty verdict and declared Nuril guilty of circulating a recording of an allegedly lewd phone call between her and Muslim, the then-principal of SMA 7 Mataram state senior high school, where she was a teacher.

Nuril has exhausted all legal avenues available to her and is now on course to serving six months behind bars and paying a fine of Rp 500 million (US$35,850) — and the only thing that can free her is Jokowi’s help.

In her letter to the President, Nuril explained that she had been harassed by Muslim since 2013 and that one day, she had had enough, so she decided to record one of his uninvited, sexually charged phone conversations with her as evidence to defend herself.

She told a colleague about the issue, and he asked Nuril for the recording, after which he reported it to the Mataram Education Agency. Nuril said she had not handed over the recording, but her colleague had.

“[Mr. President], is it wrong that I consented to pass on the recording? Is my colleague wrong for making an effort to help and release me from the ‘sexual terror’ from my boss?” Nuril wrote in her letter.

She went on to express her faith that Jokowi would help her by granting amnesty, because it was in the country’s interest to “uphold and protect the dignity and humanity” of its own citizens.

Nuril’s plea for amnesty has received positive responses from both executive and legislative officials, with the President himself saying he would do what he could in accordance with his authority.

Article 14 of the 1945 Constitution states that the President must “take into account the House of Representatives’ consideration” when granting amnesty, and House Speaker Bambang Soesatyo has indicated that the House would support the amnesty recommendation.

“I think we are all of the same understanding that [Nuril’s case] has to be looked at from a humanitarian perspective,” he said on Monday. (kmt/vny)

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