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Indonesian court case spawns social movement

Prita Mulyasari has become an "accidental hero" in Indonesia, spawning a social movement among many Indonesians in support of her battle with the country's legal system.

About a year ago, she sent a private email to a list of friends complaining that the Omni Hospital in Jakarta had misdiagnosed her illness. Somehow the hospital got hold of the email and reported her to police, pressing charges of defamation.

That was only the beginning. The police promptly arrested the mother of two, throwing her in jail for two weeks before her trial had even begun. Then, she was tried and convicted in a civil suit -- twice -- before the criminal proceedings had even started. On December 4, a court ruled in the hospital's favor and ordered Prita Mulyasari to pay more than US$20,000 in damages -- many times the annual salary of many Indonesians.

"For one year, I've gone through this legal process," said Prita, who is known by her first name. "There's no certainty in the legal system. It's not clear at all." She smiled softly and said, "I'm just very, very confused and really very tired."

Her case has gotten widespread attention -- and public sympathy -- among Indonesians who believe she has been treated unfairly by a legal system that favors the rich at the expense of the poor.

"When you've got money you can do anything," said her lawyer, OC Kaligis. "It's always the small people that are victims of this injustice."

The hospital, prosecutors and -- even Prita -- did not expect what happened next: a major support movement driven by the power of Indonesia's growing middle class and its mastery of social media.

It started on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. "Free Prita" became the rallying cry. Images of the clearly distraught Prita, separated from her two young children, generated a wave of sympathy from ordinary Indonesians and quickly made her a cause celebre. Soon, the country's leading politicians were flocking to have their photos taken with this soft-spoken woman in a modest, Muslim headscarf.

"She's just like us," explained one Indonesian housewife. "If this could happen to her, it could happen to me, to any one of us."

When the courts handed down the fine of $20,000 -- a small fortune in Indonesia -- bloggers began "A Coin for Prita" campaign. They encouraged the public to send in 100 rupiah coins -- little more than a cent -- to help pay off Prita's fine.

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Lancelot Vasquez
333 Banff Avenue,
Banff, Alberta T1L 1B1
Canada