(WiPC/IFEX) – On 30 December 2002, an Indonesian court found British academic Lesley McCulloch and her American colleague, health worker Joy Lee Sadler, to have acted in violation of visa regulations. The two women were sentenced to five and four months’ imprisonment, respectively, and are expected to be released in mid-January and February 2003, having […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – On 30 December 2002, an Indonesian court found British academic Lesley McCulloch and her American colleague, health worker Joy Lee Sadler, to have acted in violation of visa regulations. The two women were sentenced to five and four months’ imprisonment, respectively, and are expected to be released in mid-January and February 2003, having already served nearly four months in prison.
Both women deny the charges and are considering whether to lodge an appeal. International PEN is concerned at the prolonged detention and subsequent sentencing of McCulloch and Sadler, and considers the women to be detained primarily for the nature of McCulloch’s research on the separatist insurgency in the province.
Background Information
McCulloch was arrested on 11 September with former health worker Sadler and their translator in the Indonesian province of Aceh. They were taken in for questioning over materials in their possession relating to the separatist Free Aceh Movement, and were charged with carrying out “activities incompatible with tourist visas” under Article 50 of the immigration law, which carries a sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment. Their trial began on 25 November after a delay of several weeks, but was adjourned two days later until 19 December, to permit the observance of Idul Fitr.
The women are being held in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. Unverified complaints of ill-treatment include their incarceration in a small, sparsely furnished cell, exacerbating McCulloch’s back condition to the extent that she was admitted to hospital. Sadler is reported to be HIV-positive and has suffered related complaints in detention. On 1 December, she began a hunger strike to protest the postponement of the trial, which has reportedly taken its toll on her already fragile state of health. The women have been granted diplomatic access after initial difficulties, and have been able to send messages to their families and supporters.
McCulloch is an academic specialising in the Indonesian province of Aceh. Sadler is a former nurse who reportedly hoped to find a volunteer health position with a local organisation in Aceh.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the justice minister:
– protesting the sentencing and continuing detention of McCulloch and Sadler
– expressing alarm at the possibility of ill-treatment in detention and at the diminishing health of both women
– reiterating the unsuitability of a custodial sentence in such circumstances
– calling for the immediate and unconditional release of both women
Appeals To
Professor Yusil Ihza Mahendra
Minister of Justice
Departemen Kehkiman
JI. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. 6-7
Kuningan
Jakarta Selatan
Indonesia
Fax: +62 21 525 3095Appeals may also be sent to your country’s diplomatic representatives in Indonesia as well as to the Indonesian ambassador in your own country.
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
