Yohana Banunaek Still Looking For Justice In The Death Of Her Daughter Adelina Lisao 2018 Silam In Malaysia

Yohana Banunaek (left second), the late Adelina Lisao, together with the Indonesian Consul General Penang Bambang Suharto (right) and officials of the Directorate of Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - Adelina Lisao's biological mother, Yohana Banunaek, attended a trial to determine heirs at the Pinang Island High Court, Penang today to be able to file a civil lawsuit against the death of her daughter in 2018 which was allegedly due to being tortured by her employer. Yohana attended the trial before the Deputy Registrar of the Pinang Island High Court at 09.10 local time accompanied by lawyer Karin Lim Ai Ching, Indonesian Consul General at Penang Bambang Suharto and officials from the Directorate of Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bambang said the trial this time was a trial that appointed Yohana as the heir to be allowed to file a civil charge against the party responsible for Adelina's death, which could not make demands. "That's actually the agenda of today's trial, and the next trial can be represented by lawyers," he said as quoted by Antara, Wednesday, March 15. He added that lawyers assessed that efforts to get justice for Adelina could still be fought for. However, Bambang admitted that he could not speculate on the final result because the process in court was still long. According to him, this process shows that the government is here to protect Indonesian citizens everywhere. "We will continue to demand justice for Indonesian citizens who are experiencing humanitarian problems wherever they are," said Bambang. Yohana arrived in Penang on Sunday, March 12 accompanied by a number of functional officials from the Directorate of Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Manpower and Transmigration Office of South Central Timor Regency. Adelina is a resident of Abi Village, Oenino District, South Central Timor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), who works as a household assistant in Malaysia. On February 10, 2018, he was found in his employer's house with bruises on his head, hands and feet, allegedly due to abuse. He died at the Bukit Mertajak Hospital, Pulau Pinang, on February 11, 2018, a day after being taken out of his employer's house in Permai City Park, Bukit Mertajak, Penang. Based on the post mortem results from the Seberang Jaya Hospital, the police said Adelina's death was caused by organ failure due to secondary anemia (multiorgan failure secondary to anemia). Efforts to seek justice for Adelina through legal channels have been made to appeal to the Court of Alliance in Putrajaya. However, on June 23, 2022, a judge at the Court of Appeal rejected the appeal filed by the prosecutor over the verdict on the release of the Adelina murder charge by Ambika MS Sha, the employer's mother. The decision of the High Court was upheld by the decision of the Court of Appeal.