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Published: Saturday September 19, 2009 MYT 11:39:00 AM

SIS files for revision in Kartika's whipping sentence


PETALING JAYA: Non-governmental group Sisters in Islam (SIS) has filed a revision at the Syariah High Court in Kuantan on Friday morning for a stay of execution in the whipping sentence of part-time model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno.

Its executive director Dr Hamidah Marican said as an advocacy group working on women’s rights in Islam, it was acting in the public interest so as to “resolve controversies and provide clarity on the issue.”

“We understand from some reports that Chief Syarie Judge of Pahang has also filed for a revision of Kartika’s sentence.

“But we have not been able to verify this officially.

“Should this process be in place, we are surprised by the statement issued by the Pahang religious department of its intent to executve the sentence on Kartika and to do so without any prior notice,” she said in a statement here on Saturday.

Dr Hamidah said the insistence on executing the sentence when all legal avenues for revision and clarification had not been exhausted showed an “utter disregard” of a matter of great public and international interest.

“SIS urges the authorities to refrain from executing the sentence on Kartika until all legal and other avenues have been exhausted,” she said.

Kartika, who was fined RM5,000 and ordered to be whipped six times for drinking beer in a hotel in Cherating, Pahang, has asked to be left alone on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old mother of two, who has expressed her wish for the sentence to be carried out quickly, had complained of disturbances that too many people had met her and her family lately.

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