Investigating The Alleged Hate Speech Of Bahar Smith, The National Police Affirms To Be Professional, Transparent And Objective

Head of the Public Information Division of the National Police Public Relations Division, Brigadier General Ahmad Ramadhan/DOC Public Relations of the Police

JAKARTA - The National Police emphasized that they were professional, procedural, transparent, objective, and accountable in investigating cases of alleged hate speech containing elements of ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup (SARA) with reported Bahar bin Smith.

The case of alleged hate speech that ensnared Bahar bin Smith has now gone from an investigation to an investigation.

"One thing we continue to inform the media is that we carry out the process of carrying out this investigation objectively, transparently, and professionally. So it is based on the rules. Then its development or dynamics is adjusted to the progress of the investigation results that are developing," said Head of the Public Information Division of the Police Public Relations Division, Brigadier General Ahmad Ramadhan, Sunday, January 2, 2022.

Currently, said Ramadhan, the investigative team has carried out a case title in accordance with the legal construction that was prepared simultaneously.

Investigators are also preparing a plan to examine Bahar bin Smith, which is scheduled for Monday, January 3 tomorrow.

"In accordance with the development of the results of the investigation, we will examine brother BS according to the summons that has been sent," he said.

Previously, the West Java Police had raised a case of alleged hate speech containing elements of ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup (SARA) which ensnared Habib Bahar bin Smith from investigation into investigation.

As many as 50 witnesses and 6 pieces of evidence have been examined by investigators. To make it easier to identify the witnesses, investigators divided the crime scene into two clusters, namely the Bandung cluster as the starting place for Bahar bin Smith's lecture which allegedly contained hate speech as many as 15 witnesses, and the Garut cluster into 10 witnesses.

Then there were 4 reporting witnesses who were examined and 21 expert witnesses. For additional evidence that was confiscated, namely one cellphone in the Garut TKP cluster and one flash drive in the Bandung cluster.

We have confiscated all digital evidence or digital evidence and have been sent to the Digital Forensic Laboratory of the Criminal Investigation Unit at the National Police Headquarters for examination.

In this case, Bahar bin Smith was charged with a criminal act of spreading information aimed at causing hatred and or hostility to individuals and or groups based on SARA as referred to in Article 28 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 45A paragraph (2) of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning amendments to the RI Law number 11 of 2008 concerning information and Electronic Transactions (ITE) and or Article 14 and Article 15 of the Republic of Indonesia Law number 1 of 1946 regarding criminal law regulations.