Was enough done? Brazil may sue Indonesia over death of hiker on Mount Rinjani
Juliana Marins, 26, died after falling into a ravine while trekking towards the summit of the active volcano on Lombok Island. Although she was reportedly still alive when first sighted by search teams, her body was only recovered later — some 600m down a cliff — after rescue workers were hampered by bad weather and challenging terrain.
According to The Jakarta Post, Brazil's Federal Public Defender's Office (DPU) said it would escalate the matter to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights if Indonesian authorities are deemed to have failed in their duty to assist.
An official request has also been made to Brazil's Federal Police to launch an investigation into the circumstances of Ms Marins' death. A second autopsy was ordered in Brazil following her repatriation, after the initial post-mortem in Indonesia failed to establish a conclusive time of death.
'We are still waiting for the report prepared by the Indonesian authorities. Once it is received, we will decide the next legal step,' said Taisa Bittencourt, the regional human rights defender at DPU's Rio de Janeiro office.
The Indonesian government has defended its response.
'The rescue process and other steps, including the autopsy, were carried out according to Indonesian standards,' said Lalu Mohammad Faozal, acting Secretary of West Nusa Tenggara.
The rescue effort involved descending into difficult terrain where helicopters could not operate due to volcanic soil and poor weather conditions. Marins' body was eventually retrieved with ropes and evacuated to Bali, where the autopsy was conducted on June 26 before the body was flown home and subjected to a second post-mortem on July 1.
Indonesia's Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said the government is prepared to respond to any legal action.
'If there is a lawsuit, it is their right. We will be accountable for what we have done,' he told Kompas.
He added that the tragedy served as a reminder for improvements in emergency readiness, saying authorities must upgrade evacuation equipment.
Local officials said they are conducting a full review of the response to the incident, with plans to revise standard operating procedures, introduce a climber quota, enhance signage, and provide first-aid training for guides and porters at Mount Rinjani National Park.
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