Yusril on KDM's Bounty for Muggers: Don't Let Them Be Beaten to Death

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra has responded to the controversy surrounding West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi’s bounty for the capture of muggers. According to Yusril, the idea of giving a reward to those who catch muggers, provided the perpetrator is proven guilty, is not as simple as imagined. He stated that proving a person’s guilt in a criminal act is the authority of the court, not the public or law enforcement officials. The legal process takes a relatively long time because it must wait for a court decision that has permanent legal force, even up to the Supreme Court. He emphasised that law enforcement must be left to law enforcement officials through mechanisms regulated by law.

Yusril also stressed that the state is obliged to provide protection to every citizen. Victims of mugging must receive protection for their lives and property as part of human rights guaranteed by the constitution. However, even criminal offenders still have the right to be processed through the applicable legal mechanisms. He stated that they must be captured alive, tried fairly, and sentenced proportionally by the court. He warned against them dying from being mobbed beyond the limits of humanity, calling such acts a human rights violation that must be prevented.

Furthermore, Yusril asked the West Java Regional Police to increase patrols as a follow-up. He requested the Indonesian National Police, particularly the West Java Regional Police, to enhance security patrols, especially in areas suspected of having high rates of muggings that cause fear in the community. Yusril also asked the police to strengthen public education regarding steps to prevent muggings and procedures for reporting suspected criminal acts to law enforcement. He said the public needs to be invited to participate in maintaining neighbourhood security, but within legal corridors, so they are not driven to take the law into their own hands. Previously, Governor Dedi Mulyadi announced a bounty, offering cash rewards to West Java residents who help catch muggers and street criminals, describing it as a psychological strategy to prevent vigilante actions rather than an invitation to hunt down perpetrators.