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Be careful of social media pitfalls, judges warned
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Upholding the law: The Judicial Commission calls on judges, attending a focus group discussion held at the Mataram District Court in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, on Sept.19, to be careful when using social media. (JP/Panca Nugraha)
T
he Judicial Commission has warned judges to be careful when using social media because it has the potential to violate certain codes of ethics.
“We don’t have any intention of seeking out mistakes made by judges. We just want to avoid any ethical violations when they are using social media,” the commission's spokesman, Farid Wajdi, said Tuesday. He was speaking during a focus group discussion held at the Mataram District Court in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday,
Attended by about 50 judges from state, religious and administrative courts from 10 cities and regencies across the province, the discussion talked about the implementation of codes of ethics and codes of conduct for judges.
Farid said the commission had received reports of social media-related ethical violations allegedly committed by judges.
Citing examples, Farid said one judge posted a status on social media about cases he or she was working on, while another.one criticized a case being handled by a peer.
“Criticizing a case that is being handled by another judge can be considered an ethical violation. Posting such a status on social media can trigger a war of opinion,” he added.
In another case, a judge was reported when he was accused of having an affair. The case came to light after he posted several intimate pictures of a woman on his social media account.
Farid said the commission had, in these cases, sent out written and verbal warnings. (foy/ebf)
