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Not forgiven nor forgotten: Police move to detain Ratna

For the umpteenth time, actress-cum-antigovernment activist Ratna Sarumpaet is facing criminal charges and arrest, but this time she only has herself to blame

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, October 6, 2018

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Not forgiven nor forgotten: Police move to detain Ratna

F

or the umpteenth time, actress-cum-antigovernment activist Ratna Sarumpaet is facing criminal charges and arrest, but this time she only has herself to blame.

The Jakarta Police have named her a suspect for creating and spreading fake news and stopped her from leaving the country when she tried to fly to Santiago, Chile, from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.

The former member of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto’s campaign team got into trouble when she claimed on Tuesday that she had been assaulted by three assailants in Bandung, West Java, after a photo showing her with a swollen face went viral.

The police later investigated the case and found out that it was the result of cosmetic surgery, forcing her to retract her claims.

A day later, Ratna admitted that it was a lie and apologized, saying that her swollen face was the result of liposuction and the assault never happened.

She is being charged with Article 14.1 of the Criminal Code on spreading fake news that has caused restlessness as well as Article 28 of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law about spreading fake news that could harm consumers and spreading hate speech.

A number of parties reported her to the police despite her apology. The Prabowo campaign dismissed her soon after she admitted that she lied.

The police said Ratna was named a suspect in the case because she had been ignoring previous summonses. On Friday night, the police decided to detain Ratna.

Her lawyer, Insank Nasrudin, said the police need not detain her. “There’s no need to detain her. She is cooperative. Besides, she’s an old lady, where will she go?”

Wahudi Djafar from the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) said it was inappropriate to charge Ratna with the ITE law, because she did not spread hoaxes that were related to consumerism.

“Meanwhile, if she is charged under the Criminal Code, there is no measurement of her causing mischief,” Wahyudi told The Jakarta Post.

He said the police arrested Ratna not because she had spread the hoax about the assault, but rather to deter her.

It is not the first time that she has made controversial statements about the government and other issues that could not be confirmed or were outright wrong.

Last year, she posted on her Twitter account that the government had sold state aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia to China. The company then denounced her accusation. She later apologized.

In May, Ratna tweeted that the government had issued a Rp 200,000 (US$13.17) bank note as the consequence of the weakening rupiah against the US dollar. Bank Indonesian said no new currency was issued and that what Ratna said was a hoax.

The surgery scandal has also entangled other individuals close to her and the Prabowo camp, including Prabowo and his running mate, Sandiaga Uno, as well as National Mandate Party (PAN) patron Amien Rais.

On Friday, the police summoned Amien as a witness to seek information about his meeting with Ratna on Tuesday evening when she met with Prabowo, Amien and Gerindra Part deputy chairman Fadli Zon to tell them about the assault.

However, Amien failed to show up. Prabowo’s campaign team spokesman, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, said the police have no reason to summon Amien.

“The police have no strong basis to involve us. We all are victims of her lie,” Dahnil added.

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