Heru Andriyanto

Prita Mulyasari appearing during her first trial at the Tangerang District Court. (Photo: Safir Makki, JG)

Prosecutors Recommend Six Months Jail For Prita Mulyasari Defamation Case

District prosecutors in Tangerang on Wednesday recommended a sentence of six months in jail for Prita Mulyasari, who is standing trial for an infamous defamation case brought against her by two doctors at an upscale hospital in the Jakarta suburb.

“We are handling a very difficult case because of growing public opinion that the defendant is not guilty, regardless of the fact that the trial has not yet concluded,” said prosecutor Riyadi in his opening remarks.

“But justice must not bow to pressures only because the defendant has support from so many Facebookers or whatever,” he said.

“We recommend that the defendant, Prita Mulyasari, be found guilty of defamation... and be sentenced to six months in jail,” Riyadi told the court.

He defended the use of the controversial Electronic Information and Transaction (ITE) Law, despite suggestions from many legal experts that the law would not come into force until April 2010.

Prita is accused of defaming two doctors at Omni International Hospital by sending an e-mail critical of the her treatment at the facility.

The prosecution said that Prita, 32, should be declared guilty for defaming the two doctors, Hengky Gosal and Grace Hilza Yarlen Nela, in an email sent to 20 people that described the two as unprofessional and impolite.

The case was initially thrown out in July, but the Tangerang District Court in August began to retry Prita following a successful challenge by district prosecutors.

Prita had sent an e-mail to her friends complaining that she had been misdiagnosed as suffering from dengue fever at Omni International Hospital in Tangerang in August 2008, while further medical examination proved that she in fact had mumps. She had accused the doctors of unprofessional conduct and warned her friends against visiting the hospital.

After the e-mail circulated among various mailing groups and eventually came to Omni’s attention, the angry hospital sued her for defamation. The case sparked public outrage and a media frenzy after Prita was detained for three weeks ahead of her trial.

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