The prank may be over in the infamous case of Ferdian Paleka, but video clips which circulated over the weekend, in which the YouTuber and his friends were seen to be abused by fellow inmates, have brought a new chapter to the developing story.
Ferdian and his two accomplices, identified as TB and Aidil, are currently detained by the Bandung City Police, with the former arrested last Friday after almost a week of pursuit. He previously evaded authorities over his hugely controversial transphobic video, filmed in Bandung, that went viral last week.
A number of clips showed Ferdian, with his head shaved, ordered around by other inmates to perform embarrassing acts, almost completely naked. In one video, Ferdian and one of his mates appear to be doing push-ups while crying.
“Cik ngomong, abdi jelema belegug kituh (Try saying, ‘I’m a stupid person),” one man was heard instructing Ferdian in Sundanese, to which the YouTuber complied.
The quality of the clips make it difficult to distinguish between the different people involved, but a clip showed one person, believed to be one of Ferdian or his two friends, being told to get inside a large yellow trash bin.
Another clip showed this person being pushed around in the trash bin by his friend, while one of the inmates mocked them with “Hey guys, this is what’s called trash,” in a tone usually employed by YouTubers to address their viewers.
The parents of Ferdian, TB, and Aidil, through their attorney Rohman Hidayat, expressed their anger over the humiliation endured by their children, which have gone viral and are thus available for public viewing. The videos have prompted them to request suspension of detainment for their children, which will reportedly be filed today.
“We regret the abuse that occurred while [they are] in [police] custody, it truly made the parents deeply angry and sad because they saw their children going viral while naked. [They were ordered to do] push up and there were beatings,” Rohman was quoted as saying yesterday.
Rohman said the parents would guarantee that the three of them will not run away or repeat their actions.
Bandung City Police Chief Ulung Sampurna Jaya said the parents are free to file for the suspension, but noted that the final decision will be determined by investigators.
“What we know at the moment is that the suspects are in a safe condition, they’re in good health and they’re now in separate detention cells,” Ulung said.
Police have traced and confiscated the phone that was used to record the videos, which reportedly belonged to an inmate. Ulung alleged that the phone was slipped in a food package delivered from a visitor. The inmate who filmed the abuse, a prison guard, as well as the superintendent in charge that day have reportedly been questioned.
For his hugely viral and controversial transphobic video, Ferdian was charged with online defamation under the Information and Electronic Transactions Act (UU ITE), which carries a maximum four year prison sentence, as well as deliberately breaking the law and bringing harm to others, which is punishable by up to 12 years in prison under the same law.
The viral video, which made the rounds last week, shows Ferdian and his two accomplices preparing bricks and rotten bean sprouts inside instant noodle boxes before giving them away to unsuspecting transwomen. The men were visibly delighted after having pulled the prank, with Ferdian going some steps further to antagonize the public by uploading a fake apology video and then promising to upload a real apology video if he gained 30 thousand followers.
In the fake apology video, Ferdian laughed as he said, “I personally would like to apologize for what I’ve done … not.” Following his arrest, a policeman from the West Java Police posted a video on Instagram of someone mocking Ferdian, saying, “You will soon be freed … not.” However, that video has been taken down despite its copies going viral on various social media platforms.
