Indonesian NGOs seek justice for abused maid Adelina Lisao

Two Indonesian NGOs are seeking justice for Adelina Lisao (also reported as Sao) after the Court of Appeal upheld the acquittal of the maid's employer who was charged with murdering her two years ago.

International Migrants Alliance (IMA) and Jaringan Buruh Migran Indonesia (JBMI) are urging the public to support a petition calling for Adelina's case to be reopened.

In a statement, the NGOs claimed that Adelina was a victim of poverty and human trafficking.

"She was brought to Malaysia and was not paid for her job (as a maid).

"She slept in the same place with the dog. She was bitten. She was poorly fed and tortured by her employer and the latter's children.

"After being rescued and brought to the hospital, Adelina died due to wounds and lack of nutrition," the statement reads.

The NGOs called for the employer to face severe punishment.

They said it is urgent for the public to show solidarity for Adelina and urged them to sign a petition to have the criminal case reopened.

The organisations encourage the public to take photos of themselves while showing a poster which reads "Justice for Adelina" and to include the hashtags #Justice4Adelina and #MigranJugaManusia.

For the record, Attorney-General Idrus Harun had said that the prosecution would appeal against the Court of Appeal's ruling.

It followed a petition launched by Tenaganita which sought new charges to be laid against Adelina's employer, Ambika MA Shan.

Adelina had allegedly suffered physical abuse and was left to sleep at her employer's car porch with her injuries before she was rescued following the intervention of Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim on Feb 10, 2018.

Despite receiving treatment at Bukit Mertajam Hospital, the 26-year-old succumbed to her injuries the next day, due to multiple organ failures.

Prosecutors had pressed charges against Ambika and her daughter the following week but abruptly dropped the charges in April last year.

It was reported that the prosecutors were seeking a dismissal not amounting to an acquittal, but the court granted a full acquittal instead.

The Attorney-General's Chambers later appealed the court decision while sources close to the attorney-general at the time, Tommy Thomas, claimed that the prosecution had decided to drop the charges without consulting Thomas.

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