The guidelines formulated by National Police Chief, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, on handling of cases pertaining to violations of the Electronic Transactions and Information (ITE) Law, must guarantee a sense of justice, a House member said.
“I hope that these guidelines do not take sides with anyone and guarantee a sense of justice and protect freedom of opinion, especially in the current digital era," Pangeran Khairul Saleh, deputy chairman of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives, said here on Thursday.
He lauded the National Police chief's plan to formulate the guidelines as a first step towards developing common criteria for police for handling cases related to the ITE Law.
The criteria must be provided in detail so that it is clear which sections of the law are being violated, especially when it comes to articles pertaining to defamation, slander, and hate speech, Saleh said.
“I'd like to also remind (the police) that supervision over cases being investigated is absolutely necessary so that the handling process is truly accountable and transparent," he added.
He said he hoped that in the future there will be no criminalization of certain people and no one will be easily accused of violating the ITE Law, despite the absence of clarity on which articles of the law are being violated.
Although the National Police chief would prioritize mediation and be selective in receiving reports related to the ITE Law, the public should not overuse social media, the PAN politician added.
"Do not (make) use of social media too much so that we are unable to maintain the expected digital space, which is clean, healthy, ethical, and productive," he urged the public.
He also praised the police chief's plan to issue instructions to his staff that the victims personally, and not any one claiming to represent the victims, file reports with the police concerning violations of the ITE Law.
"There should be no more raids by officers regarding this without reports filed personally by the relevant officials as what has happened before," he said.
There have been cases lately wherein police officers have arrested persons reported by other people for allegedly defaming certain figures, he pointed out. The police have cited articles concerning hate speech or defamation of the ITE Law while making the arrests, he added. (INE)
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