The Marsinah trial case

The Marsinah trial case

From Sinar Pagi

On Nov. 24 one of the Jakarta newspapers carried a report of
Surabaya's High Court acquittal of the man suspected of
masterminding the murder of Marsinah. They did not, however,
mention the grounds for the decision.

The acquittal may have something to do with the fact that
almost all the witnesses and defendants in the case retracted
their testimonies, which could be a first in the history of
jurisprudence.

There is still the possibility that other oknum (delinquent
parties) were involved, which gives rise to the widespread
opinion that the testimonies were made by the witnesses and by
the main defendant under torture. This may have been the reason
why the Surabaya High Court acquitted defendant Judi Santoso.

The case has meanwhile come under the spotlight of
international attention. The whole world is watching how far we
will go in upholding justice, the law and the truth. A failure on
the part of the East Java court in this respect would ruin the
good name of our country in the eyes of the international
community.

This could have been settled by now because the Head of State
has already asked that the case of the murder of Marsinah, the
labor activist who happened to be an employee of PT Catur Putra
Surya in Porong, Sidoarjo district, East Java, be thoroughly
investigated. The Heads of State also asked that nothing be
covered up or obscured.

So, what are we waiting for. The public will never forget this
case.

MAS SOEBANDI

Jakarta