REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that Mrs Baiq Nuril can seek clemency from him, as the head of government. He made the remark as Nuril felt justice had been denied following the decision of the Supreme Court (MA).
"I strongly support Mrs. Baiq Nuril, who is looking for justice. However, if she has not received justice, she can request a pardon from the president. Indeed, at that stage, if I have applied to the president for clemency, it is my part," the president stated at the Siduharjo Market, Lamongan District, East Java, on Monday.
Nuril, who worked as an administrative staff (TU) at SMAN 7 Mataram, is appealing against the cassation verdict announced by the Supreme Court (MA) that sentenced her to six months in prison and imposed a fine of Rp500 million for violating Article 27, paragraph (1) of the Law on Information and Electronic Transactions by sharing details of a recorded indecent conversation with the principal of Mataram 7 High School.
"Everyone should know first that we have to respect the legal process. You can appeal to the Supreme Court, and to the head of government. It is impossible for me to intervene. I cannot intervene in the verdict, this is what we must know," the president explained.
Speaking in connection with MA's ruling, the president noted that Nuril could still propose extraordinary legal remedies.
"However, in seeking justice, Baiq Nuril's mother can still file a legal review (PK) remedy, and we hope PK's legal remedies will be able to provide the fairest verdict. I strongly support Mrs. Baiq Nurul in her quest for justice," the president stated.
This case of abuse at work occurred when Nuril was a TU in SMAN 7 Mataram and was often at the receiving end of abuse by the principal of SMAN 7 Mataram, Muslim.
Muslim often contacted Nuril and during his conversations spoke of his sexual experiences with other women, who were not his wife.
Uncomfortable with this ordeal, Nuril recorded her conversations with the principal to prove she had no affair with him and to serve as evidence while reporting the matter to the law enforcement apparatus.
The Mataram District Court (PN) stated that it was not proven that content containing violations of decency was transmitted.
At the trial, the PN judges even stated that the element "without the right to distribute and/or transmit and/or access to electronic information/electronic documents" was not proven, as it was not Nuril, who had circulated the conversation but other parties.
The MA then awarded a six-month jail term to Nuril and imposed a fine of Rp500 million for violating Article 27, paragraph (1) of the Law on Information and Electronic Transactions for spreading details of immoral conversations with the principal of Mataram 7 High School.