Sulawesi court hears case against teacher accused of abuse – archipelago

The public prosecutor's office has charged the teacher with bodily harm under the Child Protection Act and bodily harm under the Criminal Code. She faces a maximum penalty of three and a half years in prison.

Hundreds of members of the South Konawe branch of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI) held a rally outside the district court to show their support for Supriyani during the first hearing of the trial on Thursday.

“We are striking today to defend our sister,” said Abdul Halim Momo, chairman of the South Konawe PGRI, as quoted by Antara.

Previously, Andri Darmawan, Supriyani's legal counsel, said the indictment in the case contained several discrepancies, including the time and location of the alleged attack.

“The [report] said the incident occurred at 10 a.m [on April 24]but at that time there were no first graders at the school,” he said on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

“I never hit the child. The police investigators told me to just admit it [that I had]Supriyani told reporters after the district court suspended her detention at Kendari Women's Prison in the provincial capital, where she had been detained since October 16.