Vol 6 No 1 (2025): Jentera: Jurnal Hukum
Articles

Indonesian Treason Laws: a Barrier to Criminal Law Reform

Eka Putra
National University of Singapore

Diterbitkan 2025-08-06

Kata Kunci

  • treason,
  • makar,
  • Human Rights,
  • Indonesia

Abstrak

Treason laws have been criticized because the unclear scope of "treason" led to imminent human rights violations. Despite the global abolition of treason laws, Indonesia continues to retain treason laws. The current Criminal Code (KUHP) that became law in 1946 was a legacy of the Dutch colonization, regulating treason, or "makar," as a criminal offense. The new Criminal Code, which is scheduled for enforcement in 2026, still has treason provisions. These new provisions become ironic, considering that the new Criminal Code was supposed to be an effort to decolonize Indonesian criminal law and be more respectful of human rights. Moreover, the Information and Electronic Transaction (ITE Law) brings vague laws that criminalize dissenting online expression against the government. This paper analyzes how Indonesian criminal laws do not align with the Indonesian Constitution and the spirit of criminal law reform. The existing treason laws show abuse of power and fail to liberate Indonesian laws from colonial values. Qualitative research will be conducted in this research through an analytical legal approach to statutes and cases. This paper will proceed in several parts: First, it analyzes the current legislation on treason and how those laws could stifle human rights obligations in international law. Second, it analyzes cases of treason investigated offline and online, intending to reveal the law's abuse and the potential harm to freedom of expression. Finally, it describes how Indonesian law should comply with the international human rights framework through the obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill.

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