https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...murder-indonesia-maid-adelina-penang-11467598
Asia Anger as Malaysian cleared of murdering Indonesian maid
Adelina Sau was forced to sleep on the veranda with her employers' dog. (Photo: Steven Sim via Merdeka)
22 Apr 2019 04:15PM (Updated: 22 Apr 2019 05:35PM)
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KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian woman has reportedly been cleared of murdering her Indonesian maid, who was allegedly tortured and forced to sleep outside with a dog, with activists on Monday (Apr 22) criticising the "shocking" decision.
Adelina Sau died in February last year after being found outside her employer's home on the northern Malaysian island of Penang, with her head and face swollen and covered in wounds.
Many Indonesian maids work in more affluent Malaysia, and the horrific nature of Ms Sau's case generated headlines in both countries.
READ: Mother of dead maid treated 'like a dog' in Malaysia calls for justice
READ: Malaysian high commissioner to meet Indonesian minister over possible maid freeze
Her employer, S Ambika, was charged with murder - an offence that carries a mandatory death sentence in Malaysia - shortly after the 21-year-old was rescued and died in hospital.
But the High Court in Penang dropped the murder charge against her last week, local media reported, without saying why.
Petronela Koa cries next to the coffin containing her niece, Adelina Sau, an Indonesian domestic helper who died in Malaysia after allegedly being abused by her employer. (Photo: AFP/JOY CHRISTIAN)
Prominent Malaysian human rights lawyer Eric Paulsen called the decision "shocking and unacceptable".
"This was one of the most public and harrowing abuse cases ever recorded and yet the attorney-general's chambers somehow saw fit to drop the charge," Mr Paulsen, a member of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, told AFP.
Mr Steven Sim, an MP from the area where Sau died, said the court decision was "as tragic as the death of Adelina".
Mr Sim said he had contacted the attorney-general, Mr Tommy Thomas, who had vowed to look into the case.
In Indonesia, Wahyu Susilo, executive director of NGO Migrant Care, condemned the outcome and described it as "far from justice".
He said the employer may have been cleared due to a failure to get key witnesses, such as Ms Sau's parents, to testify at the trial, and called on Jakarta to lodge a protest.
READ: Malaysia, Indonesia to discuss protocols on recruitment of Indonesian workers
Her murder caused anger in Indonesia, with the foreign minister branding it unacceptable.
Allegations of maid abuse, ranging from overwork to beatings and sex attacks, are a regular diplomatic flashpoint between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
Source: AFP/nh
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Asia Anger as Malaysian cleared of murdering Indonesian maid
Adelina Sau was forced to sleep on the veranda with her employers' dog. (Photo: Steven Sim via Merdeka)
22 Apr 2019 04:15PM (Updated: 22 Apr 2019 05:35PM)
Share this content
Bookmark
KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian woman has reportedly been cleared of murdering her Indonesian maid, who was allegedly tortured and forced to sleep outside with a dog, with activists on Monday (Apr 22) criticising the "shocking" decision.
Adelina Sau died in February last year after being found outside her employer's home on the northern Malaysian island of Penang, with her head and face swollen and covered in wounds.
Many Indonesian maids work in more affluent Malaysia, and the horrific nature of Ms Sau's case generated headlines in both countries.
READ: Mother of dead maid treated 'like a dog' in Malaysia calls for justice
READ: Malaysian high commissioner to meet Indonesian minister over possible maid freeze
Her employer, S Ambika, was charged with murder - an offence that carries a mandatory death sentence in Malaysia - shortly after the 21-year-old was rescued and died in hospital.
But the High Court in Penang dropped the murder charge against her last week, local media reported, without saying why.
Petronela Koa cries next to the coffin containing her niece, Adelina Sau, an Indonesian domestic helper who died in Malaysia after allegedly being abused by her employer. (Photo: AFP/JOY CHRISTIAN)
Prominent Malaysian human rights lawyer Eric Paulsen called the decision "shocking and unacceptable".
"This was one of the most public and harrowing abuse cases ever recorded and yet the attorney-general's chambers somehow saw fit to drop the charge," Mr Paulsen, a member of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, told AFP.
Mr Steven Sim, an MP from the area where Sau died, said the court decision was "as tragic as the death of Adelina".
Mr Sim said he had contacted the attorney-general, Mr Tommy Thomas, who had vowed to look into the case.
In Indonesia, Wahyu Susilo, executive director of NGO Migrant Care, condemned the outcome and described it as "far from justice".
He said the employer may have been cleared due to a failure to get key witnesses, such as Ms Sau's parents, to testify at the trial, and called on Jakarta to lodge a protest.
READ: Malaysia, Indonesia to discuss protocols on recruitment of Indonesian workers
Her murder caused anger in Indonesia, with the foreign minister branding it unacceptable.
Allegations of maid abuse, ranging from overwork to beatings and sex attacks, are a regular diplomatic flashpoint between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
Source: AFP/nh
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