Indonesia ‘democracy, human rights at risk’ as row over criminal code heats up
- Talks between the government and an alliance of legal and civil liberties groups to discuss the new draft criminal code have stumbled
- The coalition said there was a lack of transparency over the proposal, which caused protests in 2019; updated version will still impact people’s rights
The Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights invited the National Alliance for Criminal Code Reform to discuss issues related to the draft of the new code in Jakarta on June 23.
But the Alliance rejected the premise of the discussion, saying it did not amount to “meaningful participation” from the public.
“While the Alliance welcomed the invitation from the government to discuss the draft criminal code, this discussion did not amount to meaningful participation because it should have been done during a parliamentary session with the draft transparently published,” said Citra Referandum Simamora from Jakarta’s Legal Aid Institute, an Alliance member.
Indonesia’s current criminal code dates back to 1918, drafted during the Dutch colonial period. It was codified and expanded across Indonesia in 1946 following independence in 1945.