Prita Mulyasari

Prita Mulyasari with her two children before being detained for writing complain against Omni International Hospital in which she was treated as a patient, i.e. consumer. So, consumer will no longer be able to complain if this decision not retracted and will create a very bad precedent in the future for freedom of speech in this country. She could be jailed for six years and fine upto IDR 520 billion  (or USD 52 million). Ridiculous.

Update 16.00 Jakarta Time: Presidential candidate Megawati Sukarnoputri visited her at prison. And the result: her status change within minutes, from imprisonment into house arrest! As I said below, law in Indonesia is with the one who has money and/or power. You should be the ones or having friend with that qualifications.

Watch Video the moment she was jailed and then released under house arrest

Prita Mulyasari an Indonesian woman, a housewife, who is currently being detained in Tangerang women penitentiary by the district prosecutors’ office. She has been accused of defamation against Omni International Hospital in Serpong, Tangerang, for writing a complaint in a mailing list. Prita, however, denies that. In an interview with Metro TV a moments ago she says she writes her complain to her ten friends via private email, not mailing list.

The fact is she is detained. And if there’s no further intervention or pressure she could be jailed for about six years.

Here’s the exact reason as reported by the Jakarta Post (29/5/09):

Indonesian Human Rights and Legal Aid Association (PBHI) coordinator Anggara said Prita complained in an email about the hospital’s services when she had a health check on Aug 7.

“She wrote the email because the hospital ignored her when she asked for her medical records,” Anggara said.

The patient’s complaints should not have been considered as defamation because as a customer, she had a right to complain, he said.

“We condemned the hospitals and doctors treating Prita for ignoring the patient and instead filing a civil lawsuit and criminal prosecution against her on Sept. 8.”

And report from Tempointeraktif.com (3/6/09)

The 32-year-old woman explained that her complaint about the hospital was sent to ten of her friends from her private email. Nurkholis found the right of a mother and a child that is violated.

Meanwhile, Omni hospital is still giving time for Prita to apologize. “As long as the apology is written,” said the hospital’s attorney, Risma Situmorang, yesterday. Risma explained that Prita has submitted an apology but it was not in writing.

Give your support for Prita Mulyasari at least by writing a piece about her in your blog. If a private email can get someone to jail, a blog can be worse. More important, save Indonesia from any undemocratic rule and give pressure the one which prosecute her.

16,000 Support for Prita

Jakarta Globe on June 2 reports

More than 16,000 people have joined an online support group on Facebook for a mother currently in prison for a “defamatory” e-mail she sent out about the standard of care in an exclusive Tangerang hospital.

The plight of 32-year-old Prita Mulyasari, who has two children, has also caught the attention of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and nongovermental organizations like the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI).

In a statement released on Monday, the PBHI demanded that the Tangerang District Court, which ruled against Prita in a civil case last month and ordered she be taken into custody pending a criminal hearing this week, reverse its decision and free her.

It also demanded that the House of Representatives and the Constitutional Court revise the Criminal Code’s defamation section because it was frequently used to restrict free speech.

Indonesian law is not known for protecting the ordinary people like Prita. Prosecutor and judge are more likely to be more “friendly” to the one who might benefit them–you know what I am talking about.

Speaking of Omni Hospital, I think, the hospital’s over-reaction will ruin its image more  instead of  giving it a good name. Its PR should take a lesson or two from this case.

Watch Video of Prita Mulyasari interview with ANTV

Indonesian Blogger Supports

According to Google Blogsearch as per this time (2.45 pm  Jakarta time) there are 300 posts written specifically about her and demand her release. The followings are some of those links. Click the number: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Show Your Support. Put this Banner on Your Blog and join Prita’s Cause on Facebook.

Ong Hock Chuan tranlates Prita’s letter in to English (in case you’re non Indonesian)