Jerinx set for release after Supreme Court rejects latest appeals
The Supreme Court has rejected appeals made in the widely publicized case involving Balinese musician Jerinx, who may soon be released from prison following the latest developments.
“With the appeal petitions being rejected, it means that the verdict from Denpasar Court will be applicable,” I Made Pasek, spokesman from the Denpasar Court, said yesterday.
The Denpasar Court reduced Jerinx’s sentence to 10 months in January following an appeal, after he was found guilty of hate speech in November and sentenced to 14 months in prison.
Appeals were then made to the Supreme Court by the prosecutor in the case and Jerinx’s legal representative, which resulted in this week’s decision. According to Pasek, both appeal petitions have been rejected.
With Jerinx, whose real name is I Gede Ari Astina, having been detained since August of last year, a 10-month prison sentence means he should be free by June. However, Jerinx’s legal representative Wayan Gendo Suardana said the 43-year-old might be eligible for early release.
Jerinx’s case has been a source of controversy across Indonesia since last June, when he accused the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) of being “flunkeys” to the World Health Organization (WHO) on an Instagram post, out of his frustration that pregnant women were required to undergo rapid tests for COVID-19 prior to delivery.
Compounding the issue is that Jerinx’s vocal rejection against rapid tests coincided with his active sharing and endorsement of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories on social media, including calls for people to stop wearing masks during the pandemic.
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