Is It Appropriate For Ferdian Paleka To Be A City Prisoner?

Ferdian Paleka (Capture a screen from one of the YouTube videos on the Ferdian Paleka channel)

JAKARTA - YouTuber from Bandung, Ferdian Paleka and his colleagues, became victims of hazing by other prisoners after being thrown in prison. Their attorneys responded by applying for a suspension of detention as city detainees.

Through their attorney, Rohman Hidayat, the suspects have submitted the petition to the Bandung Police on Monday, May 11. In the request for suspension, the parents of each suspect are the guarantor.

"(Postponement) Just going to city custody. The meaning of city prisoners is not being held in a state detention center but in that area and that is the responsibility of parents to monitor if it is granted," said Rohman in Bandung, Monday, May 11.

The application for adjournment, said Rohman, was based on considerations of the safety of his client. Because, if this is not done, it is likely that Ferdian and his colleagues will always be victims of hazing while languishing in iron bars.

In addition, the request for suspension is the right of the suspects. He hopes investigators will grant this request.

"We submitted it in anticipation of yesterday's incident and indeed the suspect's right to file, especially in a COVID-19 situation like this too, hopefully the detention can be transferred soon," said Rohman.

Criminal Law Observer of Al Azhar University Suparji Ahmad said that the investigators' consideration to decide whether or not the suspension was granted was due to three factors, namely, not starting the act, not destroying evidence, and not running away.

However, if you look at the actions of Ferdian and his colleagues who fled to Palembang, then investigators must consider this matter carefully. Because, a similar incident is likely to occur.

"Given yesterday that he was a fugitive, it must be a consideration to grant it. It is better not to grant it first," said Suparji.

In addition, if later investigators grant the suspension of detention, it is predicted that there will be polemic in the community regarding this matter. In fact, there will be negative assumptions about law enforcement.

"There will be polemics, it is difficult to catch, have already been arrested, how come detention has been released or transferred," said Suparji.

However, investigators must also consider all of Ferdian's attitudes and actions after being arrested. Thus, investigators' considerations or decisions will be more objective.

"You should also look at the attitude after being arrested. That should also be considered by investigators," said Suparji.

Ferdian's arrest

Ferdian Paleka was arrested on the Tangerang-Merak toll road, kilometer 19 to be precise, on Friday, May 8. Before being caught, this young man was known to have hidden from the police on the island of Sumatra.

In this case, two of Ferdian's colleagues, namely, Tubagus Fahddinar and Aidil, were also named suspects. The three of them are charged with the ITE Law with a maximum of 12 years in prison and a fine of IDR 2 billion.

Ferdian's case began when a video showing a group of youths providing assistance to others became a hot topic of discussion on social media. Now, the video has been deleted by Ferdian.

Criticism arose because the contents of the aid were not basic necessities or other daily necessities but some stones and rubbish. This despicable action was uploaded to Ferdian Paleka's YouTube account. On the pretext of being a youth prank content named Ferdian as the main figure planning the action. By preparing five boxes of instant noodles that were previously filled with stones and trash, this young man and several colleagues headed to an area. Their target is the transsexuals who are on the side of the road.

Based on the video recording, about four transgender women were tricked with fake help. However, when they tried to target children, their actions failed because they had already been discovered. Their actions were considered a very bad thing to do. Not long after, one of the victims finally decided to report this to the police.