Even Though Lesti Kejora Has Withdrawn The Report, Rizky Billar's Legal Case Should Not Be Stopped

Lesti Kejora (VOI)

JAKARTA - Komnas Perempuan chairman Andy Yentriyani asked the National Police to continue the legal process for cases of domestic violence (KDRT) with the suspect Rizky Billar (RB) even though the victim singer Lesti Kejora (LK) had withdrawn his report.

"Komnas Perempuan supports the police's steps, especially the South Jakarta Police, to continue the legal process in handling the LK case with the intention of ensuring a similar incident does not repeat itself in the future," Andy Yentriyani said in a statement, in Jakarta, Monday, October 17.

According to him, the revocation of reporting did not necessarily stop the legal process.

"The perpetrators of domestic violence are designated as suspects based on Article 44 paragraph (1) of the Law on the Elimination of Domestic Violence which is included in the category of ordinary offenses, not complaint offenses," he said as quoted by Antara.

Komnas Perempuan also asked the police and the public to be aware of the potential cycle of violence in the domestic violence case.

Andy explained that in cycles of violence, victims and perpetrators will continue to rotate from conditions without violence, conditions of tension, conditions of violent explosions, and conditions of reconciliation.

"But from time to time, violent explosions can become more intensive and can become very fatal resulting in serious injuries to death," he said.

He asked the police not to take a restorative justice approach because it could open up gaps in the perpetrator's impunity and strengthen the domestic violence cycle.

This is because the alleged article against the perpetrator cannot be categorized as a minor crime.

"Article 44 paragraph (1) of the Law on the Elimination of Domestic Violence states that anyone who commits acts of physical violence within the scope of the household as referred to in Article 5 letter a shall be sentenced to a maximum imprisonment of five years or a maximum fine of Rp. 15 million," said Andy Yentriyani.

In addition, the Regulation of the State Police of the Republic of Indonesia Number 8 of 2021 concerning Handling Criminal Acts Based on Restorative Justice does not contain special handling in cases of violence against women, including domestic violence.

"This police chief only contains the steps taken by the perpetrators to apologize and compensate for the losses caused by the crime without being accompanied by arrangements regarding further steps that must be taken by the perpetrators to ensure that similar incidents do not repeat themselves," he said.