Camelia Pasandaran & Dian Palupi

Prita Set To Appeal Defamation Lawsuit

Prita Mulyasari is scheduled today to declare her intent to appeal a high court ruling that ordered her to pay Rp 204 million ($21,600) in damages in a civil defamation lawsuit brought against her by Omni International Hospital.

“We will file the appeal papers with the Supreme Court within two weeks,” said Slamet Yuwono, who represents Prita in the civil suit and a separate criminal defamation trial brought against her by two doctors at the hospital.

Slamet said Prita expected the high court ruling to go against her but it still came as a surprise to her. The Banten High Court issued the ruling on Wednesday.

The hospital filed the controversial case after Prita complained last year in an e-mail to friends about what she said was the abysmal care she received at the hospital.

The case sparked public outrage when Prita was taken into custody in May after the district court ruled against her in the civil lawsuit, ahead of a criminal trial.

The ruling in the civil case drew sharp criticism. Both the Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) and the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI) slamming the ruling as repressive.

The organizations stated the courts had not only failed to protect a person’s right to freely express an opinion, but they had also provided the public with a grim reminder of the financial consequences of that failure.

“A more relevant law that should have been used is the hospital law,” said Husni Zahir of YLKI. “This states that patients have the right to report any indications of violations.”

“This is state intimidation,” said Ahmad Faisol, a researcher with ISAI, adding that the implications of the ruling would have a nationwide effect.

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