Indonesian teacher sentenced to six months in prison after documenting sexual harassment

Campaigners branded ruling 'travesty'

Baiq Nuril Maknun recorded a phone conversation with the head teacher of the school where she worked on the Indonesian island of Lombok who she accused of making repeated unwanted sexual advances her lawyer Joko Jumadi said (YouTube)

An Indonesian woman has been sentenced to six months in prison after she documented sexual harassment by her employer – sparking outrage from campaigners.

Baiq Nuril Maknun, 37, recorded a phone conversation with the head teacher of the school where she worked on the Indonesian island of Lombok, who she accused of making repeated unwanted sexual advances, her lawyer Joko Jumadi said.

Indonesia's top court convicted her of recording and spreading “indecent” material under the country's electronic information and transactions law after a colleague used the audio to lodge an official complaint against the head teacher.

“The Supreme Court judges were satisfied that she has violated the law,” court spokesman Suhadi, who uses only one name like many Indonesians, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Thursday.

Mr Suhadi said the court sentenced her to six months in prison and fined her 500 million rupiah (£26,800) after overturning a 2017 acquittal from a lower court.

Campaigners argued the ruling was a “travesty”.

“It appears a woman was criminalised simply for taking steps to redress the abuse she experienced,” Amnesty International's Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said.

“It is a travesty that while the victim of the alleged abuse has been convicted ... little if any action appears to have been taken by the authorities to investigate what appear to be credible claims.”

Maidina Rahmawati, from the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, a Jakarta-based non-profit, said the ruling could be used to deter other victims from reporting future abuses.

“This case is just an example of how the law, which is too vague, could be used against vulnerable women who were trying to protect themselves,” she said.

According to a government survey released last year, one third of Indonesian women have faced physical or sexual violence, sparking campaigners to demand action.

While the latest court ruling was delivered in a closed-door deliberation on 26 September, it was only made public this week.

Ms Maknun's lawyer Jumadi said the mother-of-three would file a judicial review to challenge the court's ruling, but could be detained by authorities at any time.

“She is a victim and she just wants justice,” the lawyer said.

A fundraising campaign has been set up to gather money to help her pay the fine. It has attracted 2270 donors – raising over 240m rupiah (£13,150).

Additional reporting by Reuters