Legal Practitioners Warn Not to Give Verdict without Legal Facts

Illustration. (Photo: Dok. Antara)

JAKARTA - Digital public spaces in the country have recently been crowded with the circulation of various one-sided narratives that have cornered certain individuals. One issue that is currently grabbing the public's attention is the wave of accusations that try to link the figure of Gatot Sunu Wibowo, former Regent of Tulungagung, with the ownership of a car showroom and certain criminal acts. Unfortunately, until now the public has not been shown clear legal evidence, ranging from official documents, independent audit results, to court rulings with the force of law to support the allegations. Responding to this phenomenon, legal practitioners and Chairman of the Indonesian Cyber Media Association (SMSI) Lampung Province, Fajar Arifin, S.H., spoke up.

He reminded the public not to be trapped in the pursuit of opinions that have the potential to damage someone's reputation before there is an official legal decision. "We must remember that Indonesia is a country of law, not a country of opinion. In the principle of criminal law, we know the principle of presumption of innocence or the principle of presumption of innocence. A person cannot be labeled guilty or destroyed his character and reputation just based on a narrative that is repeated on social media," said Fajar Arifin when contacted by a reporter, Monday, June 1.

"If a wild narrative like this showroom ownership case is allowed to roll without any valid material evidence in court, this has led to character assassination (character assassination) that harms the constitutional rights of citizens," said the founder of the FA & Partner Law Office. He also added that in a fair legal corridor, absolute truth must be tested with objective data and facts, not with the dislike of certain parties.

Fajar Arifin also highlighted the importance of increasing digital literacy for readers in Indonesia. He urged the public not to swallow raw information that is circulating without conducting in-depth verification. "Today's society must be critical. When you see an accusation, ask directly: Where is the evidence? Where is the official audit result? Where is the court ruling? If all of that does not exist, then the accusation is nothing more than a unilateral claim," he said.

At the end of his explanation, Fajar emphasized that mainstream and public cyber media have the same moral responsibility to be the vanguard in verifying information (fact-checking), not to become part of the spreaders of disinformation that harm the legal certainty of an individual.