Legal Expert Calls Accusation of Treason Against Saiful Mujani for Toppling Prabowo an Overreach

Jakarta - A criminal law expert from Trisakti University, Abdul Fickar Hadjar, considers the accusation that political analyst Saiful Mujani committed treason to be excessive. Previously, Saiful Mujani was reported by the East Jakarta Community Alliance to the Metro Jaya Police for statements deemed to incite the downfall of President Prabowo Subianto. Fickar views Saiful’s statements as remaining within the realm of an academic’s opinion. He also assesses that there are no elements of treason in those statements. “There is absolutely nothing pointing towards treason or a power grab. It’s just an overblown interpretation. They’re just seeking attention,” he said. Furthermore, he reminds that there are legal consequences for the reporter if the report proves unfounded. “The consequence, if the report is not proven, is that you must also be brought to court as a party making things up,” he said. He reiterates that treason must be accompanied by actual actions, not just statements. “Statements and actual preparations. If it’s still just talk, that’s not treason; that’s discussion, no matter how harsh, as long as it’s in the academic realm,” said Abdul Fickar. Saiful was reported to the Metro Jaya Police on suspicion of treason following his statement, deemed to incite the downfall of President Prabowo Subianto, which went viral on social media. The report was registered under number LP/B/2428/IV/2026/SPKT/POLDA METRO JAYA dated 8 April 2026. The reporter is listed as the East Jakarta Community Alliance. A clip of Saiful’s statement from a halal bihalal forum drew attention after being reposted by Senior Advisor to the Presidential Staff Office, Ulta Levenia, via her personal Instagram account. “This is terrifying; the provocation is extraordinary; this can be called treason; safeguard the Unitary Republic of Indonesia,” read the caption on the video on social media. In the 35-second video, Saiful stated that the effort to save Indonesia is by toppling President Prabowo.