Jakarta. A senior minister said Friday that Indonesia was open to launching a joint investigation with Brazil over the death of Juliana Marins, a Brazilian hiker who recently fell off Mount Rinjani, an active volcano towering at 3,726 meters on the island of Lombok.

Marins had died after plunging around 600 meters from her last known position on the volcano’s hiking trail on June 21. A joint search and rescue team had only recovered the body on June 24. Bad weather had hampered initial efforts, including an attempted helicopter evacuation. Brazilians took it to social media to protest the speed of the rescue attempt. The Brazilian Federal Public Defender's Office (DPU) had also alluded to a possible international lawsuit in an interview with local media G1. 

Chief Legal Affairs Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra revealed that Indonesia had yet to receive a diplomatic note from the Brazilian government regarding the incident. Indonesia also offers a joint bilateral investigation following the lawsuit plans floated by the DPU. 

“Indonesia is open should the Brazilian government wish to conduct a joint investigation on Juliana Marins’ death. This way, we can expose the facts transparently to the people of both of our countries,” Yusril said in a press statement.

The lawyer said that a joint investigation would be more relevant to determine the next procedures rather than pursuing an international legal action based on what he called baseless allegations. 

In its interview with G1, the DPU plans to bring the case to the Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights if the Brazilian federal police confirmed there was negligence by the Indonesian authorities. Yusril revealed that the lawsuit would be impossible as Indonesia is not a member of the commission in question.

The minister also commented on Marins’ family’s concerns over the gap between the time of fall and her death. The family members claimed that the 26-year-old dancer could have been saved had the rescue team been more prompt. Marins had already undergone an autopsy in Denpasar, and the results showed that she had lost her life between 15 and 30 minutes after the fall.

According to Yusril, Indonesia understands the family’s wish to redo the autopsy in Brazil, although results might not differ if it uses the same forensic standards. 

With many Brazilians’ eyes glued to Marins’ case, President Prabowo Subianto is set to make his BRICS Summit debut later this week. Rio de Janeiro will host a gathering of BRICS leaders on July 6-7. 

"We must not let this incident affect Indonesia's good diplomatic ties and cooperation with Brazil," Yusril said.

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