There is no other way apart from taking the case to the upper courtJakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government regrets the acquittal from charges by the Madinah court of the wife of Sumiati`s employer in Saudi Arabia, a manpower official said.
"It is not just at all," Jumhur Hidayat, head of the Indonesian Workers Protection and Placement Agency (BNP2TKI), said here on Monday.
He was responding to the decision of the Madinah court which acquitted for the second time the wife of the employer of Sumiati, an Indonesian maid coming from Dompu, West Nusa Tenggara.
Sumiati (23) binti Salan Mustafa was rushed to the King Fahd hospital on November 8, 2010 for bruises on her body after she was allegedly tortured by his employer, Khaled Salem M al-Khamimisering.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a cabinet meeting on November 16, 2010, made an emphasis that the Sumiati case should be handled specifically to assure that the law would be enforced.
The president even sent a special team and Minister for Women and Child Protection Affairs Linda Amalia Sari Agum Gumelar to Saudi Arabia to provide protection for Sumiati.
The wife of Sumiati`s employer at the first level court session in the Madinah court last January was sentenced to three years in jail but the Mecca Court of Appeal on March 3, 2011 issued a verdict asking the first level court session to be repeated.
The repeated court session on Saturday, April 2, 2011, acquitted the wife of Sumiati`s employer from all charges.
Sumiati`s employer`s wife denied having tortured Sumiati, claiming that Sumiati had tortured herself.
Jumhur said he supported the efforts by Sumiati`s lawyer to appeal the court decision.
"There is no other way apart from taking the case to the upper court," he said.
He hoped that the appellate court would provide justice based on objective conditions and existing facts.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
