Kartini binti Karim gains freedom, returns home

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian migrant worker Kartini binti Karim, who was once sentenced to be stoned to death for suspected adultery, has returned home to freedom.

Accompanied by a Ministry of Manpower official, Kartini flew from Dubai and arrived here in Jakarta late on Friday night and was immediately taken to her home Karawang, West Java.

She had served nine months in Fujairah State Prison.

Minister of Manpower Bomer Pasaribu told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that Kartini was unconditionally released by a local court in the United Arab Emirates after an appeal hearing in April.

"Kartini has returned home. We (the government) actually did not want to expose this," Bomer said.

"The main point is she has returned to the country and that she is free," he added.

The 35-year-old migrant worker was sentenced on Feb. 28 to be stoned to death for committing adultery, after being arrested several months earlier.

She was accused of committing adultery with an Indian citizen, Muhammad Sulaiman Fraongan, who reportedly fled the country after the incident in June last year, leaving Kartini with her five- month son.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab and the Ministry of Manpower's Director General for Labor Placement Din Syamsuddin went to the Emirates in March to seek clemency for Kartini.

Top officials in the past have remarked that if Kartini is released she should not be welcomed as a hero as she is considered to have committed a crime in the Emirates.

According to Bomer, most of the legal process for Kartini's release, including lawyers and interpreters, along with her return flight, was financed by the Ministry of Manpower.

"The point is she is free and this will be a very valuable experience for all of us," Bomer said. (dja)