Melly Itoe Account Owner Angelina Insults NU And GP Ansor Arrested By Jember Police

Hate speech Suspect Arrested By Jember/ANTARA/Zumrotun Solichah Police

Jember Resort Police, East Java, arrested the perpetrators of hate speech related to the issue of ethnicity, religion, race and intergroup (SARA) with the initials HS (55) which was spread through social media.

"The suspect HS, a resident of Jember Kidul Village, Kaliwates District, is strongly suspected of having spread posts involving SARA issues through several of his social media accounts," said Jember Police Chief AKBP Bayu Pratama Gubunagi as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, October 1.

According to him, investigators have also identified around 17 social media accounts managed by the suspect and many of the posts on these accounts contain hate speech, slander, defamation, and other content that has the potential to disrupt the stability of public security and order (kamtibmas).

"From the results of the investigation, it is known that the majority of content uploaded through these accounts has caused unrest among the public, one of which is an account with the name Melly Itoe Angie," he said.

The modus operandi of the perpetrator in carrying out the action was to take advantage of the Facebook account "Melly Itoe Angie" and make two posts calling NU stupid and GP Ansor members who are corrupt, so that it can trigger conflict.

"One of the things that is of special concern is the content that attacks the largest Islamic community organizations (ormas) in Indonesia. If it is not handled immediately, then the content can trigger conflict and division in society.

The Jember Police have conducted forensic laboratory tests to ensure that the confiscated evidence is indeed related to the crime committed by the suspect.

The police also asked for the testimony of expert witnesses who had been obtained to ascertain whether these posts fulfilled the elements of a criminal act in accordance with the ITE Law.

Although only one account has been prosecuted, namely the account "Melly Itoe Angie", the police continue to investigate 17 fictitious accounts managed by the suspect.

"From these accounts, the suspect actively posts various provocative content, including hate speech, which if not acted immediately, is feared to trigger a commotion in the community," he said.

The motive for the suspect HS's actions is suspected to be related to the economy, where the suspect benefited from the spread of these contents.

"We are still investigating whether the suspect works alone or there is involvement of other groups and the possibility of certain interests behind his actions," he added.

The suspect was charged with Article 45A paragraph (2) junto Article 28 paragraph (2) of the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 of 2024 concerning the second amendment to Law Number 1 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE).