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Indonesia Enforces New Penal Code

Does this free Indonesia from its colonial past and defend local values, or transfer total state control from one legal regime to another?

Published 5 days ago

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Above: Students protest Indonesia's then-Draft Criminal Code in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 28, 2022. Image credit: Eko Siswono Toyudho/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Indonesia's new criminal code ends a century of colonial legal dependency and replaces it with a unified, rights-based system grounded in restorative justice. By expanding alternatives to prison, protecting victims and limiting state intrusion through complaint-based offenses, it modernizes enforcement while honoring local values. Reforming colonial dualism is a necessary step toward complete legal sovereignty, proportional justice and national legal coherence.

The Jakarta Post Jakarta Globe

Government-critical narrative

While Indonesians were excited to break free from the legacy of Colonialism, this is not how they wanted it to happen. The new criminal code replaces colonial control with state intrusion, criminalizing private life, belief and expression. Instead of the Netherlands controlling society, these provisions on sex, blasphemy and protest empower Indonesian tyrants to target women, minorities and dissenters, undermining rights in the name of sovereignty.

Human Rights Watch

Hukum on Substack

Metaculus Prediction

Editor's Note

This story currently has limited reporting from right-wing sources. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our coverage as additional perspectives become available.