REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Baiq Nuril Maknun, a woman who convicted of defaming her alleged sexual harasser can relieve after House of Representatives (DPR) agreed that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) should grant amnesty to her in Wednesday (July 24). She expected there would be no one, especially a woman must experience just like what she has faced. 

“I hope there is no one who face the same case, it really hurts,” said Baiq. 

Baiq said all women in the world must be brave when they get sexual harassment. She also reminded women should not give a second chance to her abusers. 

“If it happens to you, don’t give a chance, you must dare to speak out,” Baiq added. 

House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs agreed during a meeting that president should grant amnesty to Baiq. The agreement was taken through level II decision-making at the 23rd plenary session during the session of the 2018/2019 Session Year that led by House deputy speaker Utut Adianto. 

Baiq case started when she was a staff at 7 Mataram Senior High School spreaded the recording that contained harassment for her from its school principal, named Muslim. He often contacted Baiq and during conversations, Muslim told stories of his sexual experiences with other women, who were not his wife.

Uncomfortable with this ordeal, Baiq recorded those conversations to prove she had no affair with the principal and to serve as evidence while reporting the matter to the law enforcement apparatus. Mataram District Court had previously found Baiq Nuril not guilty of the charges in July 2017.

However, prosecutors submitted a cassation petition to the Supreme Court shortly after. The Supreme Court then found Baiq was guilty of defaming the sentenced her six month imprisonment and a fine Rp 500 million for violating Article 27, paragraph (1) of Law on Information and  Electronic Transactions for spreading details of immoral conversations with the principal of Mataram 7 High School. The decision was overturning a lower court’s not guilty verdict. 

According to the ruling, Baiq Nuril must serve a six-month sentence and pay a Rp 500 million fine after being found guilty of violating Article 27 paragraph 1 Law No. 11/2008 on Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE).

Earlier, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said that forgiving Nuril was in line with one of the key priorities of the President’s nine-point development plan (Nawa Cita) to protect women from all kinds of violence. He stressed it was important that women will not be afraid to fight for their rights if they were victims of sexual violence. 

Yasonnal worried if amnesty for Baiq was not granted, then people, especially women who experience sexual violence will be afraid to fight for their rights. He does not want the people who want to fight for their justice will be afraid of being criminalized.

“It is clear that we will protect the dignity of women who fight for their rights," Yasonna said. 

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