YouTuber Resbob Demanded 2.5 Years in Prison in Case of Insulting Sundanese Ethnic Group

YouTuber M Adimas Firdaus Putra Nashihan, or Resbob, has been demanded a two-year and six-month prison sentence in a hate speech case related to the Sundanese ethnic group. The demand was read out at the Bandung District Court on Monday (13/4). In the indictment, the prosecutor assessed that Resbob violated Article 243 of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 243 of Law No. 1 of 2026. The prosecutor’s charges apply Article 243, under which the old Criminal Code carries a four-year prison threat. However, in the new Criminal Code, Article 243 carries a criminal penalty of 2.5 years. “We applied Article 243 in accordance with the charges, Article 243 of the new Criminal Code. Then for the penalty, we demand two years and six months. That is 2.5 years,” said prosecutor Sukanda after the trial. Meanwhile, Resbob’s legal counsel, Fidelis Giawa, stated that the prosecutor’s demand does not align with the facts presented in the trial. He said there are two important facts revealed during the trial. First, the defendant is said to have deleted the content containing hate speech before the police report was filed. Based on the trial facts, he said, the content was deleted on 9 December, while the report was only made on 11 December by the Sunda Ngahiji and Viking alliances. Second, his client has expressed an apology to the aggrieved parties. “These two things were not considered. Therefore, I think what the prosecutor demanded is not based on the trial facts,” he said. In addition, he highlighted the lack of explanation regarding the element of violence against people or property in the prosecutor’s charges. However, according to him, that element is an important part of the legal provisions related to hate speech. He stated that during the trial, there was no evidence showing physical violence occurred. The uproar that arose, he continued, only occurred in the digital space, such as direct messages, and never led to real actions. “It was never confirmed whether violence against people and property had occurred,” he said. Resbob was previously reported to the West Java Police by several parties due to provocative statements related to Persib Bandung football team supporters and the Sundanese community. After a search in four provinces on Java Island, Resbob was finally secured by officers in Semarang, Central Java.