TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former philosophy lecturer at the University of Indonesia Rocky Gerung, along with several human rights activists, released a declaration on logical thinking today at the De `Panna House, Menteng in Central Jakarta.
Rocky was recently reported to the police by the Cyber Indonesia community for his alleged hate speech that touched issues regarding ethnicity, religion, and race or SARA. The declaration was read out by sociologist Robertus Robet.
“It surely is an oddity when a democratic country aiming to improve the lives, the way of thinking, arguments, and criticism is broken by communal claims and state authority,” said Robet.
Read: Amnesty International Blasts Ade Armando, Rocky Gerung Cases
“The criminalization and persecution driven by blasphemy allegations is an absurd practice of the politics of law,” the issuance stated.
Furthermore, the phrase ‘enrich the life of the nation’ mentioned in the opening of the 1945 Constitution (UUD) was mentioned several times in the announcement.
Rocky Gerung said that the public notice was made to salvage the nation’s capability of intelligent thinking. “This announcement acts as a background story on why such cases are considered to be shabby,” he said.
Human Rights public figures such as H. S. Dillon, Atnike Sigiro, and Sandyawan Sumardi also gave their views on the case that is currently entangling Rocky Gerung.
SALSABILA PUTRI PERTIWI | DA
