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Calls mount for transparency in KUHAP law revision
A group of civic organizations has blasted the ongoing legislation of the revised KUHAP Law as lacking transparency and sidelining public participation in a rushed process, a trifecta of criticisms leveled at lawmakers that have become all too common, including the recent revision of the TNI Law that led to nationwide protests in March.
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Stock illustration of criminal law (Shutterstock/9dream studio)
T
he Civic Groups Coalition (KMS) has raised an alarm over the rushed process to revise the country’s Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP), warning that lawmakers’ ongoing work to produce a draft bill lacks accountability, sidelines public input and risks entrenching human rights violations in the judicial system.
The proposed revisions to the KUHAP, a set of guidelines for the litigation process from pretrial motions to appeals, are part of a broader agenda for legal reform. The new KUHAP is intended to align with the new Criminal Code (KUHP) passed in 2022, which takes effect next year.
The House of Representatives started drafting the bill earlier this year and its deliberation is expected to start later this month, after lawmakers return to work following a three-week recess.
During the last plenary meeting of the legislature’s January-March session, House Speaker Puan Maharani of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) read out a letter from President Prabowo Subianto green-lighting the deliberation of revisions to the KUHAP Law.
While the House speakership is yet to appoint a commission to work on the draft bill, the final version is expected to be brought to a plenary vote in the coming months.
Read also: Protests break out as House passes TNI bill
Activists slammed the preliminary drafting process as lacking transparency, with little information made available to the public. They also said the House had not adequately consulted key stakeholders, including legal experts, academics and human rights groups.
