Pledoi Hearing: Delpedro Recounts the Story of Justice in the Time of Prophet Sulaiman
Director of Lokataru Foundation Delpedro Marhaen delivered a pledoi at Jakarta Central District Court on Monday, 2 March, opening his closing defence statement with the story of Prophet Sulaiman and two mothers disputing over a child.
Delpedro argued that the historical narrative remained relevant to all seekers of justice.
“Allow me to begin this pledoi with a story about justice in the time of Prophet Sulaiman—a story that transcends space and time yet remains relevant to every search for justice,” Delpedro stated.
He recounted how two mothers once appeared before Prophet Sulaiman. Both lived in the same house and each had an infant. One night, one of the infants died, and both mothers subsequently disputed and fought over the surviving child.
“Faced with this impasse, Prophet Sulaiman did not judge based on who made the louder claim, who was most convincing, or who appeared most grieved. He chose the path of wisdom. He ordered a sword to be brought and declared that the surviving infant would be split in two so each woman would receive her fair share,” Delpedro explained.
In that moment, one woman maintained her claim. However, the other woman, weeping and fearful, pleaded for the child’s life to be spared.
“From that point, the truth was revealed. Prophet Sulaiman understood that the woman willing to relinquish the child for its safety was the true mother. For a mother’s love cannot be measured by the loudness of her voice or the strength of her claim, but by her willingness to sacrifice,” Delpedro said.
According to Delpedro, the story teaches that truth does not always lie on the surface. Truth, he argued, is often hidden behind convincing accusations, carefully constructed narratives, and facts stated with absolute certainty.
“Justice, therefore, is not satisfied merely by listening and demanding wisdom; it requires wisdom to weigh deeply, read motives, and understand the substance behind statements,” he said.
He noted that in the case before him, perhaps no sword was raised in the courtroom, yet reputation, freedom, and future were at stake. Drawing parallels to Prophet Sulaiman’s story, he implored the court panel not to stop at what appeared on the surface, not to stop at forceful demands, and not to reach hasty conclusions.
He asked the court to look deeper, weigh more carefully, and decide with wisdom.
“As the true mother in Prophet Sulaiman’s story who was willing to sacrifice for her child’s life, I declare before this court: if upholding the truth and achieving something better for society, the nation, and the law itself requires sacrifice, then God willing, I am prepared to sacrifice,” he said.
“But allow that sacrifice to be built upon truth, not error. Allow the decision born from this courtroom to be not only legally valid but also just in conscience,” he concluded.
Earlier, prosecutors had demanded that the court sentence Delpedro Marhaen to two years’ imprisonment. The same sentence was sought for three other defendants: Muzaffar Salim, a Lokataru Foundation staff member and administrator of the Blok Politik Pelajar Instagram account; Syahdan Husein, administrator of @gejayanmemanggil; and Khariq Anhar, a Riau University student and administrator of the Alliance of Protesting Students.
According to prosecutors, the defendants had engaged in electronic incitement related to demonstrations held 25-30 August 2025 that resulted in riots, causing damage to public facilities and injuries to law enforcement, in violation of Article 246 of the 2023 Criminal Code (KUHP) read together with Article 20(c) of the KUHP.
The prosecutors requested the court impose two-year prison sentences on all four defendants, with time served in detention to be deducted from their sentences, during a reading of the indictment at Jakarta Central District Court on Friday, 27 February.