{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1694034,
        "msgid": "yusril-academics-are-free-to-criticise-the-government-1776858652",
        "date": "2026-04-22 18:08:25",
        "title": "Yusril: Academics are free to criticise the government",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Politics",
        "summary": "Coordinating Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra has affirmed that academics in Indonesia are free to criticise government policies without restriction, emphasising that no laws prohibit such expressions. In response to police reports filed against academics Feri Amsari and Ubedilah Badrun, Yusril stressed that ethical mechanisms should be prioritised over criminal proceedings unless clear legal violations like incitement are evident. He advised the reported academics to cooperate with police clarifications, noting that many such cases may not escalate to formal investigations.",
        "content": "<p>Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights,\nImmigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra stated that academics\nare free to criticise government policies, as this is not\nprohibited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it\u2019s academics, they are free to criticise the government; no one\nis forbidding or obstructing that,\u201d Yusril said in Jakarta on Wednesday,\nin response to the reports filed against Feri Amsari and Ubedilah\nBadrun.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding academics who express criticism while holding the status of\ncivil servants (ASN), Yusril said that ethical mechanisms should take\nprecedence in assessing whether there is any violation, rather than\nimmediately resorting to criminalisation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf ethics determines there is no ethical violation, then what? What\nis the basis for conducting a criminal investigation?\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>According to Yusril, enforcement of ethics is generally prioritised\nover criminal proceedings, unless evidence of other legal violations,\nsuch as incitement, is found.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it\u2019s incitement, that is indeed a criminal offence. That\u2019s a bit\ntricky, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s incitement; people expressing opinions\ncannot be obstructed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Yusril reminded that anyone has the right to\nreport others. However, every police report must go through a series of\nprocesses to determine whether it is valid to proceed to the next\nstage.<\/p>\n<p>He said that the academics who have been reported to the police\nshould follow the report processing procedures, including when asked for\nstatements. In that forum, the academics can provide clarifications.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnyone, whether an academic or not, if the police then study it and\ninvite them\u2014not summon them\u2014for clarification, my advice is to attend.\nGet it clarified. Hopefully, after clarification, it doesn\u2019t need to be\nescalated to investigation or prosecution stages,\u201d he said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/yusril-academics-are-free-to-criticise-the-government-1776858652",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}