Lawyer HP Reported Again Amid Alleged Insult Case

The Indonesian Online Media Organisation (MIO) has reported a lawyer with the initials HP to Polda Metro Jaya for alleged criminal insult against the journalism profession. MIO Chairman Asep Yusuf Setyabudi Prayogie stated that the lawyer’s public remarks demonstrated a demeaning and insulting attitude towards journalists. He emphasised that if any party feels aggrieved by journalistic products, the law provides mechanisms such as the right of reply, right of correction, and complaints to the Press Council. Asep added that openly belittling the press in public risks building a negative stigma, portraying journalists as lacking legal understanding and intellectual capacity simply because they disagree with a source. The report was officially registered under number LP/B/5298/VII/2026/SPKT/POLDA METRO JAYA dated 21 July 2026. The reported individual is suspected of violating Articles 433, 436, and 441 of Law No. 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, as well as Article 18 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 4 paragraphs (2) and (3) of Law No. 40 of 1999 concerning the Press. This report follows an earlier complaint by the Central Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), who visited the Polda Metro Jaya Integrated Police Service Centre after a video of the lawyer’s remarks went viral. PWI’s Director of Anti-Violence against Journalists, Edison Siahaan, stated that the legal action was taken because the lawyer’s statement, which questioned whether journalists ‘have brains’, had deeply hurt and offended the honour of the journalistic profession.