Legal Aid Fears Hidden Agenda by 'Elites' in New Criminal Code

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Legal Aid (LBH) public attorney Fadhil Alfathan on Thursday assessed that the latest Criminal Code (KUHP) passing on December 6 can potentially be abused by certain elites that have interpolated agendas benefiting them. LBH fears it will only narrow civil liberties.

“According to our assessment, this can be abused by certain elites,” said Fadhil to Tempo on December 8.

Another issue is the “colonial age” provisions within the KUHP that have been reintroduced, despite legislators’ claims that the formulation of the Criminal Code was to decolonize the set of laws. 

Fadhil added that criminal law instruments are generally used as a means of repression for opinions or expressions conveyed as criticism of a policy. "This condition is what is known in practice as 'criminalization'."

“Surely, those benefiting from this practice are those that have hidden agendas aimed to maintain power,” he said. 

The House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday, December 6, officially passed the Criminal Code Bill (RKUHP) into law in the 11th plenary, which was led by Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad. 

Prior to the passing of the Bill, which has been met with many rejections from activists and the general public, the House's Commission III member Bambang Wuryanto said that the formulation of the Bill was a carryover from the previous House term meant to decolonize, consolidate, and harmonize the Criminal Code. 

NESA AQILA

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