Revision Of Human Rights Law Completed, Pigai: Activists Can No Longer Be Criminalized

Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai answered reporters' questions in Jakarta, Tuesday (19/8/2025). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Human Rights Minister (HAM) Natalius Pigai said the Ministry of Human Rights had completed the revision of Law (UU) Number 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights and was waiting to be summoned by the DPR to start a joint discussion.

"We just need to call the DPR, the materials are finished. Everything is finished," said Pigai as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, August 19.

He said the Ministry of Human Rights had compiled a revision of the Human Rights Law with experts and academics in the field of human rights, including former UN Special Reporting on Human Rights Makarim Wibisono, former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Jimly Asshiddiqie, and former Commissioner of Komnas HAM Hafid Abbas.

"All human rights officials of the Republic of Indonesia who compiled it have been completed," he stressed.

The Ministry of Human Rights through the revision of the Human Rights Law tries to regulate unprecedented aspects, such as human rights and corruption, human rights and the environment, human rights and development, as well as human rights and elections.

In addition, the Ministry of Human Rights also emphasized the protection for human rights activists in the revision.

"Protection of human rights defenders (human rights defenders), activists, we also include in one article itself which is not easy for them to be criminalized in the future," he said.

Previously, Pigai during a press conference regarding the revision of the Human Rights Law at the Ministry of Human Rights Office, Jakarta, Thursday (3/7), proposed that corruption be included in the human rights domain. This is to regulate follow-up actions.

That way, he said, perpetrators of corruption can be tried with two mechanisms, namely the criminal justice system in general courts and the human rights justice system in human rights courts.

"Two options are opened, but that's also our new proposal," he said.

In addition, he also proposed strengthening Komnas HAM by making the recommendation of an independent institution has legal force. Through the revision of the Human Rights Law, Komnas HAM recommendations will be regulated as mandatory to be followed up.

"So far, the handling of case services at Komnas HAM has only stopped at recommendations that are not streamlined, have no teeth, so we give teeth and teeth," Pigai said in his office, some time ago.