Hotman Paris Apologises to Journalists After Losing Temper During Questioning

Prominent lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea has issued a public apology to all journalists and professional press organisations, including the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI). The move follows an appeal from press organisations regarding his statement, which was deemed to belittle the journalistic profession during a recent press conference on the case of former Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) Febrie Adriansyah. Hotman clarified that the emotionally charged remark was triggered by the situation on the ground. Nevertheless, he felt it necessary to apologise openly. ‘I hereby express my deepest apologies for my statement at the press conference on the former Jampidsus case where I said, “do you have a brain or not?”. Regardless of the actual facts of the incident, as emotions were running high at the time, I still apologise to the journalist concerned and to all journalist organisations throughout Indonesia,’ Hotman said in an official statement on Monday (20/7/2026). Hotman explained that the video clips or quotes circulating in the mass media only showed the final part without providing the full context of the incident. He detailed the chronology that led to his spontaneous outburst. According to Hotman, a journalist initially asked him whether the relevant law enforcement agency had a hidden agenda in investigating the case. He immediately answered that he did not know, as he felt he lacked the capacity to comment on another institution’s internal affairs. However, before he could finish his explanation, a second journalist immediately pressed him with a question about whether the institution had made a mistake. ‘I got emotional because I had repeatedly said I didn’t know, and finally I answered, “do you have a brain or not?”. What I meant was, I had already answered that I didn’t know; it seemed impossible for me to answer what the hidden agenda of a law enforcement institution was,’ he explained. Hotman stressed that he had absolutely no intention of demeaning the journalistic profession or damaging the long-standing good relations he has had with the media. ‘Once again, there was no intention whatsoever. It was just because I was bombarded with two questions that I had already said I couldn’t answer because I lacked the capacity to answer, but I was asked again and again, so I became emotional. Once again, I apologise,’ he concluded. The Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) and the Legal Journalists Association (Iwakum) had previously strongly condemned the statement by the celebrity lawyer, which they said degraded the dignity and profession of journalists, after he accompanied his client, former Jampidsus Febrie Adriansyah, during an examination as a corruption suspect. Iwakum Chairman Irfan Kamil highlighted Hotman Paris’s remark, ‘do you have a brain?’, directed at a journalist carrying out their duties at the Attorney General’s Office. ‘We strongly condemn and demand that Hotman Paris apologise for his statements that demean journalists and lead to the suppression of press freedom,’ Kamil said. Kamil noted that the statement attacked the intellectual capacity of journalists. He said it was not only arrogant but also degrading to the dignity of journalists and unbecoming of a senior advocate. ‘The statement “do you have a brain or not?” is not criticism, but an insult to journalists,’ Kamil said. Kamil stated that journalists have the right to ask questions to obtain information, especially as the press conference held by Hotman Paris concerned the case of former Jampidsus Febrie Adriansyah, which was in the public spotlight. He added that while a source has the right to refuse to answer, provide clarification, or correct the substance of a question, that right cannot be used as a reason to attack a journalist’s intellectual capacity. ‘A source may decline to answer. A source may also refute a journalist’s question. However, no one has the right to respond to a journalistic question with insults and personal attacks,’ Kamil said.