Ten Lawyers for Murder Suspect Radiet Adiansyah Resign en Masse

Ten lawyers representing Radiet Adiansyah, the suspect in the murder of a Mataram University (Unram) student at Nipah Beach, have unanimously withdrawn from the case. The decision was made following allegations of inadequate legal representation and a statement by Radiet’s family during a parliamentary hearing at the House of Representatives (DPR).

“It is indeed true that we have withdrawn as Radiet’s legal representatives,” said Zainal Asikin, director of International Law Firm, on Monday (2 March 2026).

Asikin explained that the decision to withdraw was triggered by interference from Radiet’s family. Additionally, his team was accused of not working optimally in handling the case.

According to Asikin, over the past seven months his team worked tirelessly to defend Radiet. He claimed his team spent hundreds of millions of rupiah and had gathered substantial evidence for use in the trial defence.

“There was frequent interference from the family stating we were not working. This offended the advocates. Yet we had already gathered evidence,” said the law professor from Mataram University’s Faculty of Law.

He noted that the situation reached a peak when Radiet’s mother stated that her son had no legal representation. This statement was made during a parliamentary hearing with Commission III of the House of Representatives in Jakarta.

Asikin regretted the statement, arguing that his team had continued to provide legal support throughout.

Moreover, he also lamented the step taken by Radiet’s family in seeking legal assistance from Hotman Paris 911 in Jakarta without first communicating with the lawyers in Lombok.

From the beginning, Asikin said, his team was willing to represent Radiet without payment, taking into account the family’s limited financial capacity.

However, Asikin argued that this rationale is no longer valid since Radiet’s family is clearly able to hire lawyers even as far as Jakarta.

“Our original commitment was to defend someone without means. But if they can already afford to go to Jakarta, they no longer deserve our defence. We defend the poor,” Asikin concluded.