Page 6 - aruba-today-20220406

A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 6 april 2022
Indonesian principal sentenced to death for raping 13 girls

By ADI MARSIELA her client to appeal the
Associated Press sentence to the Supreme
BANDUNG, Indonesia (AP) Court. They have seven
— An Indonesian high court days to do so before the
granted an appeal from court decision becomes fi-
prosecutors and sentenced nal.
an Islamic boarding school Wirawan pleaded guilty
principal to death for rap- and apologized to his vic-
ing at least 13 students over tims and their families dur-
five years and impregnat- ing the trial.
ing some of them. West Java police began to
Herry Wirawan had been investigate the case and
convicted by a three-judge arrested Wirawan last May
panel at Bandung District when parents of a victim
Court in February and sen- went to the police after
tenced to life in prison. He their daughter returned
had been accused of rap- home on a holiday and ad-
ing girls between 11 and 14 mitted she had just given
years old from 2016 to 2021 birth.
at the school, hotels or rent- The case didn’t become
ed apartments in the West public until November,
Java city. when court proceedings
At least nine babies report- began. Police said they
edly were born as a result Herry Wirawan, center, the principal of a girls Islamic boarding school accused of raping his waited to publicize it to
of the rapes. students, is escorted by security officers upon arrival for his sentencing hearing at a district court prevent further psychologi-
in Bandung, West java, Indonesia, on Feb. 15, 2022.
His case drew a public out- Associated Press cal and social damage to
cry as there were several the victims.
victims over several years. site Tuesday. “The defen- But the high court ruled for children, and the situation In January, President Joko
Police said the victims were dant had tarnished the rep- his assets to be seized, in- allows for their children to Widodo said he was con-
too fearful to tell anyone. utation of Islamic boarding cluding a foundation he be returned to the victims.” cerned about cases of sex-
The Bandung High Court schools.” owned, and auctioned The appeal court’s judges ual abuse in Islamic board-
judges in their ruling Mon- The lower court had or- to benefit the victims and denied prosecutors’ re- ing schools and called on
day agreed with prosecu- dered Indonesia’s child their children. quest for chemical cas- parliament to speed up
tors’ appeal for the death protection ministry to pay The judges also ruled that tration, saying someone deliberations on a bill on
penalty and for Wirawan’s $23,200 in combined com- nine children born to the sentenced to death or life sexual violence.
assets to be seized. pensation requested by the victims should be handed imprisonment may not be Conservative lawmak-
“What he had done had victims and between $600 over to the Children and subject to other punish- ers and Islamic groups
caused trauma and suffer- and $6,000 for medical and Women Protection Agency ments, other than the revo- want the bill to include
ing to the victims and their psychological treatment with periodic evaluation cation of some rights. prohibitions on extramari-
parents,” said the ruling the for each girl, instead of seiz- “until the victims are men- Wirawan’s lawyer, Ira Mam- tal sex and homosexual
court released on its web- ing Wirawan’s assets. tally ready to care for their bo, said she would advise relations.q

Kuwait’s government resigns as political crisis intensifies

By ISABEL DEBRE economic and social re- office. It marks Kuwait’s fense and interior ministers ter years in the red and see
Associated Press forms. Kuwaiti Prime Minis- third collective govern- submitted their resignations its gross domestic product
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- ter Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled ment resignation in the past earlier this year. Exasper- increase by 2.7%, it remains
ates (AP) — Kuwait’s gov- Al Hamad Al Sabah submit- year and a half. A host of ated, the two senior minis- politically stuck.
ernment resigned on Tues- ted the cabinet’s resigna- new faces, including some ters decried their inability to Years of low oil prices, cou-
day, just months after its tion to the crown prince, picks to appease opposi- make anything happen in pled with the coronavirus
formation, opening up state-run KUNA news agen- tion blocs, had been ap- oil-rich Kuwait because of pandemic, pushed the
new uncertainty as the cy reported, ahead of a pointed to ministerial posts Parliament’s rowdy oppo- country’s account deficit to
tiny country grapples with no-confidence vote in Par- as recently as December, sition. Lawmakers increas- 16.6% of its GDP last year. As
a worsening political crisis liament later this week that with their resignation now ingly in recent months have financial stress worsened,
that has blocked critical sought to remove him from reflecting their failure to expressed their political the government couldn’t
make reforms. frustrations and mistrust by draw from Kuwait’s flush
Opposition has been questioning various unpop- sovereign wealth fund or is-
mounting against Sheikh ular ministers and stalling sue debt because lawmak-
Sabah. Angry lawmakers major projects. ers have blocked a public
hauled him in for extensive Although soaring oil prices debt law.
interrogations last week amid Russia’s war in Ukraine The parliament, a rarity in
over his alleged corruption have recently created a the autocratic region of
and mismanagement. They windfall for Kuwait, they’ve Persian Gulf sheikhdoms, is
publicly declared him “un- also served as a reminder empowered to pass and
suitable” and called for a of the nation’s utter depen- block laws, question min-
new prime minister to tack- dence on oil revenues and isters and submit no-confi-
le the country’s problems need to diversify. Even if dence votes against senior
Lawmakers attend a session of Kuwait’s National Assembly, in and secure badly needed the International Monetary officials. However, final au-
Kuwait City, Feb. 8, 2022. reforms. Cabinet’s resigna- Fund now expects Kuwait thority rests with the ruling
Associated Press tion comes after the de- to run a budget surplus af- emir. q