Indonesian hospital drops law suit against mother who criticised doctors in emails

In a victory for people power - and common sense - an Indonesian hospital has dropped its defamation case against Prita Mulyasari, a mother who criticised the hospital and its doctors in emails to friends.

The hospital had already been awarded Rp 204 million ($21,624) in civil damages in yet another case that showed the extremely unbalanced nature of Indonesia's justice system, which tends to favour the rich as well as anyone else willing to stump up the necessary cash.

The hospital's victory against Prita sparked a popular outcry across Indonesia and campaigners quickly raised the amount of money needed to pay off the damages on Prita's behalf.

Now that the hospital has dropped its case, there will be no damages to pay but the saga is not over yet. Prita still faces criminal charges over the self-same emails.