Haris-Fatia Still Wants To Present Komnas HAM At The Luhut Binsar Defamation Case Session

The atmosphere of Haris-Fatia's follow-up trial at the East Jakarta District Court, Monday (25/09/2023). BETWEEN/Rio Feisal

The attorneys for the defendants Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti have rescheduled the agenda to present Komnas HAM as expert witnesses in the follow-up trial of alleged defamation of Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Haris-Fatia's attorney, Muhammad Al AyyUBi Harahap, said that the attorney had written to Komnas HAM since Monday 18 September. However, Komnas HAM asked to be invited through a letter from the East Jakarta District Court (Jaktim), so he could not attend today's trial.

Previously, at H-1 Komnas HAM informed us that he asked Komnas HAM for a letter or invitation to provide information in court. We convey that it is okay, that it is the right of legal advisors, the right of the defendant, to present experts or witnesses from where to provide information," said Ayyubi at the East Jakarta District Court, Monday, September 25, confiscated by Antara.

On the other hand, AyyUBi explained that Komnas HAM's presence was not in the corridor for gross human rights violations. Because, he said, his party used Law Number 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights.

"The material we want to convey is that Haris-Fatia is a human rights defender who cannot be prosecuted criminally, that is the capacity of Komnas HAM to explain that. So it's not about corridors that are gross human rights violations," he said.

Meanwhile, in the follow-up trial, Chief Justice Cokorda Gede Arthana said Haris-Fatia's trial had nothing to do with human rights. Therefore, his party could not give Komnas HAM time to submit a response in the Haris-Fatia follow-up trial.

"If you ask for Komnas HAM's response, this is not a human rights trial. If the human rights trial is not here, it is in Central Jakarta," said Arthana.

However, the panel of judges invited Haris-Fatia's attorney to submit a letter from the East Jakarta District Court to Komnas HAM.

In addition to presenting Komnas HAM, at today's trial it is scheduled to present experts in the military sector starting at 13.30.

Previously, Haris and Fatia were charged by a team of public prosecutors (JPU) for defaming Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan's good name.

The case began because both of them were said to have spread false news related to LBP's connection in the mining business in Intan Jaya, Papua, at a video broadcast or podcast on YouTube entitled There is Lord Luhut behind the economic-ops military relations of the Intan Jaya!! General BIN also has 1!.

Haris and Fatia were charged with Article 27 paragraph 3 in conjunction with Article 45 paragraph 3 of the ITE Law, Article 14 paragraph 2 of Law Number 1 of 1946, Article 15 of Law Number 1 of 1946, and Article 310 of the Criminal Code concerning Insults.