Delpedro and Colleagues Seek Damages; Yusril Says It Must Be Through Pre-Trial
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that the government, the police, and the prosecutors cannot directly provide compensation requested by Delpedro Marhaen Rismansyah, the director of Lokataru Foundation, for the legal process he underwent in the August 2025 incitement case.
Yusril explained that the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) regulates that compensation must be pursued through the pretrial mechanism at a court that has previously examined and decided the matter.
‘Compensation must be pursued through the pretrial mechanism as regulated in Articles 173, 174, and 175 of the New KUHAP. Whatever the court’s decision later, the government will be bound by and will respect that decision,’ Yusril told Kompas.com on Saturday, 7 June 2026.
Yusril also invited Delpedro to file for the compensation.
According to him, if Delpedro’s move is granted by a judge, it would become an important precedent in Indonesia’s legal practice.
‘If Delpedro submits a praperadilan request to claim damages, he may become the first person to utilise the mechanism provided in the New KUHAP. Who knows the court’s decision may become jurisprudence for handling similar cases in the future,’ he said.
‘The bench has ruled to rehabilitate Delpedro and colleagues’ good name, abilities, and dignity. Therefore the rehabilitation rights guaranteed by law have been fulfilled through the court decision, so the President does not need to issue a rehabilitation decision if Delpedro were to apply for one,’ Yusril added.
On the other hand, he warned law enforcement officers to operate with care before making arrests, detentions, or prosecutions against someone.
He said the legal steps should be taken if there is sufficiently strong initial evidence.
‘If the initial evidence is not yet strong enough, law enforcement officers should rethink carrying out arrests, detentions, or even prosecutions in court,’ he said.
He added that if, in the end, the accused is acquitted by the court, the state is obliged to provide rehabilitation as well as open up the possibility of awarding damages for the impact arising from the legal process.
After being acquitted, Delpedro asked the state to compensate material losses suffered by him and his three colleagues, Khariq Anhar, Syahdan Husein, and Muzaffar Salim, during the process.
He noted that the legal process caused them to lose various opportunities, from employment to education due to being detained for about six months. In addition, they had to bear the costs of attending the trial.
Delpedro also referred to Yusril’s earlier statement urging him to adopt a ‘gentleman’ attitude in facing the legal process.
‘Today I want to say to Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who when I was first arrested challenged me to be a gentleman before the judiciary, and now we have faced the judiciary and we have been found not guilty and released,’ Delpedro said.