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