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Schizophrenic woman stands trial for blasphemy
A legal report accusing Suzethe of blasphemy was filed with the police shortly after the incident. The police processed the report and submitted the dossier to the court, even though Suzethe’s children have provided evidence that their mother has mental health issues.
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Suzethe Margaret 9left) a schizophrenic woman who is standing trial for blasphemy, her lawyer Alfonsus Atu Kota (center) and her husband Firdaus Situngkir stand outside Cibinong District Court in Bogor, West Java on Wednesday. (JP/Theresia Sufa)
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ibinong District Court in Bogor, West Java, held the second hearing on Wednesday in the trial of Suzethe Margaret, a schizophrenic woman who has been charged with blasphemy.
A video purporting to show her in an altercation in Al Munawaroh Mosque in Sentul, West Java, in which she is accompanied by her dog and is wearing shoes went viral in June. The incident sparked anger among Muslims, who regard dogs as impure and who are strict about removing shoes before entering mosques.
A legal report accusing Suzethe of blasphemy was filed with the police shortly after the incident. The police processed the report and submitted the dossier to the court, even though Suzethe’s children have provided evidence that their mother has mental health issues.
The panel of judges presided over by Judge Indra Meinantha Vidi and judges Ben Ronald Situmorang and Firman Khadafi Tjandrabumi questioned five witnesses on Wednesday.
The witnesses were officers of the Babakan Police, two representatives of the Al Munawaroh mosque management and a bystander at the scene when the incident occurred.
Ishak, the mosque caretaker, told the judges that he had reprimanded Suzethe when she was about to enter the mosque building.
“But she insisted. She entered the mosque while asking people about the whereabouts of her husband, who she believed was about to hold a wedding ceremony there,” Ishak said during the hearing.
