Otto: New Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code End Colonial Era of Law in Indonesia

2026 marks the beginning of our adaptation to the new criminal justice system in Indonesia. Semarang (ANTARA) - Deputy Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Services Otto Hasibuan stated that the arrival of the new Criminal Code (KUHP) and Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) signifies the end of the dominance of colonial law that has applied for more than a century in Indonesia. “2026 will be the start of our adaptation to Indonesia’s new criminal justice system,” Otto said in Semarang on Saturday. The statement was made while attending the inauguration of Prof. Dr. Hj. Nurmalah as Honorary Professor at the Faculty of Law, Sultan Agung Islamic University (Unissula) Semarang. Otto explained that the enactment of the new KUHP and KUHAP is not merely replacing the text of the laws but also brings a paradigm shift in the national criminal justice system. “This transformation is not just a change of legal texts but also a paradigm shift,” he said. Meanwhile, the new KUHP and KUHAP prioritise a corrective, rehabilitative, and restorative paradigm. He explained that the corrective paradigm aims to encourage offenders to realise their mistakes and not repeat their actions. The rehabilitative paradigm is expected to enable former inmates to reintegrate into society after serving their sentences. “One of the issues so far is that former inmates are often difficult to accept in society, thus potentially repeating their actions,” he said. Otto hopes that academics can play an active role in socialising the new KUHP and KUHAP so that they can be widely understood by the public. He added that the government has prepared various outreach programmes, including training of facilitators since 2025 to support the implementation of the policy.