Indonesia pardons woman for recording lewd calls from boss
JAKARTA : Indonesia's Parliament approved yesterday an amnesty for a woman who was jailed after recording lewd phone calls from her boss in a case that has caused outrage.
President Joko Widodo granted an amnesty to Ms Baiq Nuril Maknun after she had exhausted all other legal avenues.
Parliament's approval was met by loud applause as the tearful woman covered her face with her hands before kissing the ground.
Ms Erma Suryani Ranik, a Member of Parliament, read a statement confirming the decision and said in this case, "Baiq Nuril was the real victim, instead of the perpetrator".
The mother of three, who had been working at a school on the island of Lombok, recorded some parts of the 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 and distributed it on an electronic device, which resulted in the principal losing his job, court documents showed.
In 2015, the principal reported her to the police, which resulted in her being prosecuted under laws targeting the electronic distribution of pornographic material.
Ahead of the decision, she told Reuters that if granted an amnesty, she intended to take the umrah, or minor haj pilgrimage, and spend more time with her family.
"If (women) suffer from something as I did, please don't be afraid to speak up," she said. - REUTERS
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