Indonesian singer Gisella Anastasia, who is popularly known as Gisel, has found herself in the middle of a potentially career-damaging allegation, after a sex tape went viral across social media platforms suggesting that she was the woman in the video.
The sex tape became such a hotly discussed topic that Gisel’s name topped Twitter’s trending topics list today. However, the singer denied that she was the woman in the sex tape and acknowledged that her highly-pubicized divorce with actor Gading Marten last year may have made her a soft target for such allegations.
“After all, with my current status, recently divorced, widowed, I could be susceptible to these kinds of news. There could be many people who will draw the conclusion without finding the truth first. So, I’m really sad, but that wasn’t me,” Gisel told reporters yesterday, as quoted by Kompas.
Gisel also said she believes some people are out to tarnish her reputation.
“I’m not [angry], but it’s like… what is this? However, I can’t be prejudiced, because as a public figure, there could be people who want to bring [me] down, or looking to take advantage of the situation. We’ll never know, because business has gotten weirder these days,” Gisel said, as quoted by Detik.
Gisel said her main concern is the well-being of her four-year-old daughter Gempi, who she does not want to be exposed to the accusation. Her former husband Gading has recently expressed his support by posting a plain black picture with “HOAX” written on it, along with the caption “Fight!”
Through several stories on Instagram, Gisel wrote that she’s learning about Indonesia’s Information and Electronic Transactions Act (UU ITE), a law that criminalizes online defamation, implying that she may report those who spread the accusation that she featured in the sex tape.
“For your sake, I won’t be silent this time around. I will defend my honor as I should. Before my mental state gets eroded by the cruel words because of their views and the stigma, this time I shall speak up,” Gisel wrote in one of her stories.
Indonesia has a harsh anti-pornography law, but, more often than not, celebrities who find themselves in the middle of sex tape-related scandals escape the brunt of the law.
One notable exception is rock star Nazril Irham, who is popularly known as Ariel, who appeared in a couple of leaked sex tapes involving actresses Luna Maya and Cut Tari, separately, in 2010.
Ariel’s leaked sex tape scandal caused a massive moral panic in Indonesia, ultimately leading to the musician becoming the first charged under Indonesia’s then recently passed pornography law (though he was eventually convicted under UU ITE, the Law on Electronic Transactions and Information) and getting sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail in 2011. He was released after serving two years of his sentence.
Both Luna Maya and Cut Tari were named suspects by the police in the pornography case but were never brought to trial following Ariel’s conviction. Ariel and Luna’s careers have thrived since, while Cut Tari had chosen to keep a relatively low profile in the entertainment industry.
Related: Too Hot for Indonesia? What happens after a celebrity sex scandal
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