Liver Surgery Is Still Recovering, Hidayat's Jumhur Trial Is Postponed For A Week

JAKARTA - The panel of judges at the South Jakarta District Court in Jakarta has again postponed the trial for spreading false news and hate speech involving labor activist Jumhur Hidayat for a week until September 9, 2021.

The trial with the agenda of examining the defendant was postponed by the Panel of Judges because Jumhur was still undergoing a recovery period after liver surgery.

“Pak Jumhur is still in post-operative care. The doctor suggested that the trial cannot be done today," said Jumhur's attorney, Oky Wiratama, as quoted by Antara, Thursday, September 2.

He said, next week it is possible that his client will be in court. "The trial will be held again on September 9 at 11.00 (WIB)," added the public lawyer for LBH Jakarta.

The Panel of Judges has several times postponed the trial of the Jumhur case for a number of reasons, including the implementation of the Emergency PPKM in Jakarta, the change in the composition of the Panel of Judges, and lastly, the defendant's condition was sick and had to undergo surgery.

Jumhur Hidayat, a senior member of the Coalition for Action to Save Indonesia (KAMI) and vice chairman of the Confederation of All-Indonesian Workers' Unions (KSPSI), has been charged by prosecutors with intentionally and without rights spreading false news that caused trouble.

The labor activist was also accused of spreading hate speech through his tweets on social media Twitter, which criticized the Omnibus Law on Job Creation on October 7, 2020. Jumhur, through his personal Twitter account, tweeted: “This law is for PRIMITIVE INVESTORS from the PRC and GREEDY ENTREPRENEURS. If CIVILIZED INVESTORS are as follows: 35 Foreign Investors Express Their Distress towards the Ratification of the Job Creation Law. Click to read: kmp.im/AGA6m2”.

In his tweet, Jumhur quoted a news link broadcast by Kompas.com entitled "35 Foreign Investors Express Anxiety About the Ratification of the Job Creation Act".

As a result of the tweet, Jumhur threatened to be snared by two alternative articles, namely Article 14 Paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 15 of Law Number 1 of 1946 of the Criminal Code or Article 45A Paragraph (2) jo. Article 28 Paragraph (2) of Law No.19/2016 concerning Amendments to Law No.11/2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions.