Disappointed Dean Of FISIP UNRI Freed In Case Of Alleged Obscenity, Susi Pudjiastuti: Harassment Will Continue To Last On Campus

Former Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Susi Pudjiastuti. (Between)

JAKARTA - Former Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti was disappointed with the acquittal of the non-active dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) Universitas Riau (UNRI) Syafri Harto.

The Pekanbaru District Court judge judged Syafri not guilty on charges of sexual harassment to a student he was mentoring.

According to Susi, the panel of judges should consider a number of legal aspects before acquitting Syafri. The incident, he said, could set a bad precedent in the campus environment in the future.

"As long as the perpetrators of the harassment are left free for that long, harassment will continue to occur on campuses and other places," Susi commented on her Twitter account, @susipudjiastuti, Friday April 1st.

Previously, Syafri was officially released on Wednesday, March 30. Syafri was released from the Riau Police's detention house after completing the files at the Riau Police's Directorate of Detention and Evidence (Dittahti) in Pekanbaru.

Syafri Harto's attorney, Dodi Fernando, said that his party is ready if the Public Prosecutor (JPU) files an appeal to the Supreme Court.

"Our next step is to wait for the steps of the prosecutor's colleagues. If there is an appeal from the prosecutor, we are ready for it. We are ready to accompany Pak Syafri Harto until the final decision is made," said Dodi, as reported by Antara.

Regarding the verdict of acquittal given by the judge, Dodi said that his party was grateful that Syafri Harto was released according to the expectations and facts of the trial.

"Because it is clear, the victim's own statement said that in the incident there were no elements of violence, threats, and persuasion so that the elements of violence and threats that the Public Prosecutor alleged to Syafri Harto were not proven," he continued.

In addition, the witnesses presented only heard stories from the victims. This means that de auditu's testimony cannot be used as a basis for proving the evidence of witness testimony.