A coalition of domestic worker groups has slammed the early release of the woman who tortured her domestic worker, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, demanding authorities provide an explanation for the leniency.
The collective — the Justice for Erwiana and all Migrant Domestic Workers Committee (J4EMDW) — called the decision to release Law Wan-tung from prison after serving just under two-thirds of her prison sentence an “insult to justice”.
At a press conference yesterday, they called the move “salt to the wound of injustice” experienced by Sulistyaningsih, who was left in a critical condition after suffering months of abuse at the hands of Law, her former employer.
Convicted in 2015, Law had been serving a six-year jail term after being found guilty of assaulting Sulistyaningsih and two other domestic workers.
She was also ordered by the court to pay at least HK$809,000 (US$103,000) in damages to Sulistyaningsih, which Law reportedly still hasn’t paid yet.
J4EMDW added that Law has not shown any remorse for the abuse she inflicted on Sulistyaningsih, and still has to pay back the Justice Department for legal expenses from failed challenges and appeals related to the case.
The groups urged Law to serve her sentence in full, compensate Sulistyaningsih, and pay back what she owes to the Hong Kong public purse.
News that Law had been released from prison early emerged on Wednesday during a High Court hearing when a lawyer from the Justice Department — that is pursuing Law for HK$200,000 (US$25,600) over another failed legal action — said they had not been able to “ascertain her whereabouts”.
The SCMP reported that when the department called the Lo Wu Correctional Institution where she was being held, they were told that Law was released a few months ago.
According to Hong Kong’s Prison Rules, inmates can earn a earn a one-third deduction on their sentence through good behaviour.
However, it is not clear why Law was released from prison early. An SCMP source said she was let out under an early release scheme, six months before the end of her sentence, and that she would be subject to a supervision order until her jail term expired.
Sulistyaningsih’s nightmare began in 2013 when took up a job as a domestic worker in Hong Kong to earn money to pay for university tuition.
At the hands of her employer, Law, she suffered abuse including being fed nothing but bread and rice, sleeping only four hours a day, not being given a day off, and being beaten so badly that she was knocked unconscious.
Her plight sparked international outrage in 2014 after she was admitted to hospital in Indonesia in a critical condition and pictures of her injuries were made public.
She became the face of a movement determined to force change for working conditions for Hong Kong’s domestic workers.
In September, Sulistyaningsih graduated cum laude from Sanata Dharma University with a degree in business management.
