Exorcism Case in New Zealand

Exorcism is an Act of expelling Demons (from a Person or a Place) by Ritual and Prayer. This kind of practice is quite popular among people who live in the rural parts of Indonesia.

Recently, a Court in Wellington, New Zealand, passed a Verdict last Friday which found five people guilty of Manslaughter in the death of their relative Janet Moses (22) during an Exorcism ceremony to drive Demons away from her.
According to MNBC, the family belongs to a Maori Tribe who have apparently practiced these rituals for centuries. On October 2007, nine family members of the victim, performed Exorcism on her, forcing water into her mouth and eyes to flush out Demons. Ms. Moses drowned and a 14-year-old girl the group also believed was possessed suffered serious eye injuries as people picked at the Demons they saw in them.
According to the Prosecutor, it accepted that the family believed she was possessed by Demons at the time of her death. But he said that the trial was not about an inquiry into whether Demons or spirits but it is about whether the accused are guilty of the Manslaughter of Janet Moses. What the the family thought as a Curse is a misinterpretation of an emerging mental illness, with the situation evolving into a "supernatural battle that needed to be fought" and that ended with "tragic consequences."
According to the Defendants' lawyer, Ms. Moses had wanted her family to help cure her of what she believed was demonic possession.
After 17 hours of deliberation, the 12 man Jury found three of the Defendants not guilty, and the discharged the fourth due to lack of evidence. The five Defendants who were found guilty will be sentenced on 14 August, facing up to 10 years prison sentence.

The above case shows that Exorcism ceremony can be dangerous if the parties involved cannot control themselves.

N.Z Court & Facebook

Facebook has now been used as a method to convey very important messages in foreign countries, including the service of Court papers.

According to Legal Blog Watch, last March a High Court Judge in New Zealand has permitted lawyers to serve process on a Defendant in Britain through the social networking site Facebook. The lawsuit, brought by a New Zealand company Axe Market Garden, alleges that the owner's son, Craig Axe, took NZ$241,000 (+/- US$126,000) from the company's bank account. The permission was given after the Company's Lawyers said they cannot locate the Defendant's precise where about, but know that he has a Facebook account.
One of the lawyers, Daniel Vincent, believed that such Court permit is the first in New Zealand. He said that his request for the Court order was inspired by an earlier Court order in Canberra-Australia which approved the use of Facebook to notify a couple that they had lost their home after defaulting on a loan.

The above news interestingly indicate that Facebook is now playing an increasing role in people's lives. Therefore, I hope that we in Indonesia can also realize that Facebook is not merely beneficial for private purposes but also for professionals too.