The Lubukbasung District Court in West Sumatra yesterday sentenced a 35-year-old man named Ropi Yatsman, who was found guilty of spreading hate speech by insulting the president online, to 15 months in prison.
According to Kompas, the court ruled that Ropi deliberately spread misinformation that promoted hatred and unrest, which is a violation of Indonesia’s controversial Information and Electronic Transactions Act (UU ITE), a law that criminalizes any electronic media communication that could be considered defamatory or slanderous. The law is often criticized for being shockingly harsh, vaguely worded and, in particular, oppressive to freedom of speech.
Among Ropi’s violations were posting slanderous comments and edited photos about President Joko Widodo and several other politicians, including former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who was jailed in May for blasphemy against Islam. A Republika article from the time of his arrest reported that among Ropi’s posts were a photo of three women with the faces of Jokowi, Ahok, and former president Megawati Soekarnoputri pasted over their faces with the caption, “Three shapeshifting humans who are destroying the nation.”
Ropi was also the admin of a Facebook group in which members regularly posted defamatory and racist memes about prominent Indonesian politicians.
Ropi was arrested in February after the National Police’s Cyber Crimes division tracked him down to his workplace in the Agam Regency of West Sumatra.
Ropi’s 15-month prison sentence is the same as what the case prosecutors demanded.
Last month, a 20-year-old man named Burhanudin from Pasuruan, East Java was also arrested for posting slanderous memes about President Jokowi and other politicians. Burhanudin, a self-confessed supporter of hardline Islamic group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), admitted to his accusations, saying that he had been angered by what he perceives as the government belittling his religion of Islam.
Also last month, a man identified as 27-year-old NS – also believed to be a sympathizer with hardline Islamic groups – from Southeast Sulawesi was arrested for allegedly spreading hate-filled content online, defaming the president and National Police Chief Tito Karnavian. He could face up to six years in prison for violations of UU ITE.
