Kartini's claim of rape could win her reprieve from death row
Kartini's claim of rape could win her reprieve from death row
JAKARTA (JP): Hopes are high that Indonesian maid Kartini bin
Karim will avoid the death penalty in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) for adultery as she has testified that she was raped,
director general for labor placement Din Syamsuddin said on
Friday.
Din, fresh from a trip to the UAE to visit Kartini, said the
migrant worker would be accompanied by local lawyers when giving
her testimony before the local high court hearing her appeal on
Monday.
"In my meeting with Kartini in Fujairah prison on Tuesday, she
denied that she had an affair with her Indian colleague, Muhammad
Sulaiman Frangoan, as has been accused by local prosecutors. She
insisted that she had been raped," he told The Jakarta Post.
During his visit to Fujairah, Din was accompanied by Tati
Krisnawaty, who chairs the NGO Women's Solidarity, and a staffer
at the Indonesian Embassy in UAE.
In its verdict on Feb. 28, the district court in Fujairah,
some 300 kilometers from the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, sentenced the
35-year-old maid to death by stoning for having a baby out of
wedlock.
Din said Kartini was facing execution after she admitted four
times to the local Muslim court that she had given birth to the
Indian worker's baby after a love affair with him.
"She gave a false admission and apparently accepted her death
sentence because she was frustrated by the presence of her baby
and her bad relationship with her husband at home," he said.
Kartini from Karawang, West Java, has been working in the UAE
since 1998.
According to UAE law, adultery for women is punishable by
death by stoning.
Din said Kartini's baby was being taken care of by a local
police officer's family.
Frangoan escaped UAE after the case was unveiled.
Din, also secretary general of the Indonesian Ulemas Council
(MUI), said his recent UAE visit was part of Indonesia's
intensive lobbying attempts to save Kartini from the death
sentence.
"The Ministry of Manpower in cooperation with the Indonesian
Embassy in UAE has recruited a local lawyers firm in Fujairah to
provide legal protection for Kartini," he said.
The appeal has been postponed to give time for prosecutors and
Kartini's lawyers to further study the case.
Din said he was optimistic that Kartini would not be given a
death sentence. "Although she has been proven guilty, she will be
punished with a light sentence, or even freed from the charges,"
he added.
He said he had requested that the Muslim court review the
death sentence, but because of Kartini's admission, it was to no
avail.
But Din also brought home bad news, saying two more Indonesian
workers were facing death sentences in Dubai and Madinah, Saudi
Arabia, on murder charges.
He said Sri Ningsih, an Indonesian worker from Central Java,
might be stoned to death for allegedly killing her Sri Lankan
fellow worker, while Siti Zainab from Bangkalan, Madura, was
charged with murdering her employer's wife.
"Sri Ningsih's trial is underway while Zainab's will begin
after the pilgrimage season is over," he said.
Meanwhile, foreign minister Alwi Shihab asserted that despite
Kartini's death sentence, the government would not seek clemency
from the UAE government.
"I'm more than optimistic Kartini will not be stoned to
death ... The government has an obligation to protect all
Indonesians but in the case of Kartini, we will not seek
clemency," he said moments before his departure to Saudi Arabia
for the haj pilgrimage.
He said Kartini should not be seen as a heroine if she was
freed from the death sentence.
"We should not treat her like a Thomas Cup champion. The most
important thing is that the death sentence should be lifted from
her," he said.
After completing his pilgrimage, Shihab is slated to meet with
UAE officials to seek a lighter sentence for Kartini. (rms/dja)