DPD Member Asks The Perpetrators Of Insulting Athlete Nurul Akmal To Be Legally Processed

Nurul Akmal/ANTARA

JAKARTA - DPD member Fachrul Razi criticized the perpetrators for harassing the weightlifter Nurul Akmal, through insulting body shaming when he arrived in Indonesia after competing at the Tokyo Olympics.

"We cannot tolerate Body Shaming's actions, especially since the victim is an athlete who is making the nation proud in an Olympic-class sport arena. The perpetrators must be processed to have a deterrent effect," Fachrul told reporters, Thursday, August 5.

The senator from Aceh reminded everyone to be careful about commenting on a person's body shape, including on social media.

"If the person is hurt, you can be reported to the police and threatened with imprisonment or a fine according to the body shaming law," he said.

It is known that acts of body shaming or physical insults on social media and public spaces can be reported to the police and charged with Article 27 paragraph 3 Juncto Article 45 paragraph 3 of the ITE Law regarding defamation/insulting (complaint offenses) and Article 315 of the Criminal Code concerning minor insults.

Article 27 paragraph 3 of the ITE Law reads "Everyone who intentionally and without rights distributes and/or transmits and/or makes accessible Electronic Information and/or Electronic Documents containing insults and/or defamation with a maximum imprisonment of 4 (four) years and/or a maximum fine of Rp. 750 million”.

Meanwhile, based on Article 315 of the Criminal Code, it reads "Every intentional insult that is not in the nature of defamation or written defamation committed against a person, either in public orally or in writing, or in front of the person himself, verbally or by deed, or by a letter written sent or received to him, shall be threatened with light contempt with a maximum imprisonment of four months and two weeks or a maximum fine of four thousand five hundred rupiahs.

"Body shaming is a form of bullying that is done by someone by criticizing the physical appearance of others," said Fachrul.

It is known that Indonesian weightlifter Nurul Akmal was treated unfavorably upon arrival in the country. He became a victim of body shaming.

In a live broadcast on Instagram @timindonesiaofficial, Nurul, who became the third athlete to appear in the welcoming session and take a bouquet of flowers, received an inappropriate remark from one of the people present at the event.

"The thinnest," said the perpetrator.

When confirmed, Nurul Akmal admitted that he was not aware of any body shaming treatment on him.