Indonesians sacrifice shoes for ‘sandal boy’

Indonesians gathered in outrage at numerous points across the country to protest against the punishment [AFP]

Indonesians have dumped over 1,200 pairs of sandals, flip-flops and slippers at collection points across the country in support of a teenage boy who was convicted of stealing.

An Indonesian court found the boy guilty on Wednesday of stealing a pair of worn-out sandals but allowed him to go free in a case that captured headlines and focused attention on the country’s uneven judicial system.

Hundreds of people who packed the court building in Central Sulawesi’s capital screamed with dissatisfaction as the judge read the verdict. At least one local newspaper following the case referred to the teen as the “Sandal boy”.

Most of the onlookers had brought pairs of used sandals and piled them outside the courtroom to express their frustration over the legal system.

Some rallied outside the building ahead of the hearing to demand the 15-year-old boy’s acquittal.

“Committing theft”

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, could have received five years in prison, the same sentence given to people convicted of terrorism, drug pushing and rape.

“Based on facts and testimony during the trial, the defendant was proven to have violated the law by committing theft,” Judge Rommel Tampubolon said.

The boy was accused of taking the sandals in November 2010 near a boarding house used by police. Six months later he was interrogated and reportedly badly beaten by three police officers who accused him of theft.

One officer, Sergeant Ahmad Rusdi Harahap, claimed the sandals were his and took the teenager to criminal court. The boy was not detained.

When shown the sandals at the trial, however, Harahap said they were the wrong brand and size.

“Really disappointed”

Judge Tampubolon ruled the boy was guilty of theft, even though the sandals did not belong to the police officer.

“We are really disappointed,” said Sofyan Farid Lembah of the local office of the National Commission for Child Protection. “We will ask the Judicial Commission to probe the judge.”

Lembah earlier organized the first collection of sandals which were presented to police as a symbol of protest over the case. Thousands later joined in the sandal donation protest in Palu, Jakarta and many other cities.

Two of the boy’s friends testified in the trial that he was beaten up by the officer with a piece of wood. They said he was also kicked, causing him to fall into a steep trench.

Indonesia has made tremendous strides toward democracy since the ouster of longtime dictator Suharto in 1998, but the judicial system remains a weak point.