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Blasphemy defendant should be admitted to mental health unit, psychiatrist says
A psychiatrist has testified that Suzethe Margaret, who is standing trial for blasphemy, should be treated in a mental health hospital for paranoid schizophrenia
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span>A psychiatrist has testified that Suzethe Margaret, who is standing trial for blasphemy, should be treated in a mental health hospital for paranoid schizophrenia.
Suzethe was reported to the police in June after a video — showing her stepping into a mosque in Sentul, West Java, while wearing shoes and accompanied by her dog — went viral.
Henny, a psychiatrist from Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, shared the psychiatric assessment of Suzethe in a hearing at the Cibinong District Court in Bogor, West Java, on Monday.
“When she first came to the Bhayangkara Police Hospital on June 30, the defendant was restless and she was not able to speak. She did not understand that she needed treatment,” said Henny.
“Entering the mosque accompanied by her dog was a result of her mental disorder since, by the time the incident happened, she had not taken medicine for six months.”
Henny suggested that given her severe mental condition, the defendant should be closely monitored and treated in a mental hospital.
“When the symptoms occur, the actions taken by the defendant can harm not only herself but also others,” she added.
Henny’s testimony confirmed what Suzethe’s family and lawyer have always insisted: that Suzethe has a mental illness.
Suzethe entered and made a fuss at Al Munawaroh Mosque in Sentul, believing that her husband was marrying another woman inside the mosque. The incident split public opinion and angered some in the Muslim community, which regards dogs as impure, while it is obligatory to remove your shoes before entering a mosque.
Shortly after, a legal report accusing her of blasphemy was filed to the police. Although Suzethe’s children had provided evidence about their mother’s mental condition, the police processed the report and submitted the dossier to the court.
Suzethe is accused of violating the Blasphemy Law, or Article 156a of the Criminal Code (KUHP), which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Several psychiatrists and legal experts lamented the legal proceedings against the woman, as Article 44 of the KUHP regulates that a person with mental health issues cannot be held legally responsible for their behavior.
During the second hearing on Oct. 9, Suzethe’s lawyer, Alfonsus Atu Kota, said Suzethe had been living with schizophrenia since 2013 and had been going to the doctor regularly. He said when her condition relapsed, she could go rambling for hours, walk alone and hit people in the street.
Alfonsus blamed the public and discussions generated about the incident that painted the case in a bad light, making it look like an ethnic, religious, racial or community (SARA) issue.
Her husband, Firdaus Situngkir, also explained the state of Suzethe’s mental health in a hearing on Oct. 16.
“A month before the incident, or around May this year, Suzethe kept asking me, ‘you’re planning to marry Eli, aren’t you?’” Firdaus told the court.
The question came out of the blue, he added, because neither of them knew anyone called Eli in their circle of friends.
He believed that Eli was a figment of Suzethe’s imagination created by her condition.
During the hearing, Firdaus revealed that their 19-year-old twin sons also suffered from developmental and mental problems, with one of them being diagnosed with autism. (syk)
