Indonesian parliament pardons woman jailed for reporting sexual harassment  

Indonesia's parliament approved on Thursday an amnesty for a woman who was jailed after recording lewd phone calls from her boss in a case that has caused outrage and warnings that it could discourage victims of sexual abuse from speaking out

2024-07-07 15:08:07

Indonesia's parliament approved on Thursday an amnesty for a woman who was jailed after recording lewd phone calls from her boss in a case that has caused outrage and warnings that it could discourage victims of sexual abuse from speaking out.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo granted amnesty to Baiq Nuril Maknun after she had exhausted all other legal avenues in the controversial case.

Parliament's approval was met by loud applause as the tearful mother of three, who was in the chamber, covered her face with her hands before kissing the ground.

MP Erma Suryani Ranik read a statement confirming the decision and said in this case "Baiq Nuril was the real victim, instead of the perpetrator".

Nuril, who had been working at a school on the island of Lombok, recorded some parts of lewd telephone calls from the school's principal without his knowledge in 2012 after complaining of sexual harassment.

She then gave a recording to a third person, who distributed it on an electronic device, which resulted in the principal losing his job, court documents showed.

In 2015, the principal reported Nuril to police, which resulted in her being prosecuted under laws targeting the electronic distribution of pornographic material.

Although the case was dismissed by a lower court, prosecutors took it to the Supreme Court and Nuril was jailed for six months and given a 500 million rupiah ($51,660) fine.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country and is predominantly conservative.

(with input from Reuters)

Monika Walker is a senior journalist specializing in regional and international politics, offering in-depth analysis on governance, diplomacy, and key global developments. With a degree in International Journalism, she is dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices through factual reporting. She also covers world news across every genre, providing readers with balanced and timely insights that connect the Caribbean to global conversations.