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View all search resultsBatam prosecutors seek one year for activist in Satpol PP defamation case
A 61-year-old social activist in Batam is facing a one-year sentence in a defamation trial for controversial charges under the ITE Law, over social media posts he published last year that allegedly targeted the Batam Satpol PP.
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Yusril Koto, 61, a social activist on trial for defamation at the Batam District Court in the Riau Islands, is escorted to a detention car after a hearing on Sept. 9, 2025. (JP/Fadli)
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rosecutors demanded a sentence of one year and a fine of Rp 25 million (US$1,517) or two additional months in prison for social activist Yusril Koto on Tuesday during a trial hearing at the Batam District Court in Riau Islands province.
Yusril, 61, has been charged with violating Article 45, and Article 27A of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law in relation to 10 posts uploaded to his TikTok account Yusril_Koto (@yusril.koto2) on Sept. 20, 2024.
The posts allegedly accuse an officer from the Batam Public and Order Agency (Satpol PP) of protecting street vendors and accepting illegal levies.
Prosecutor Muhammad Arfian has alleged that Yusril’s posts harmed and shamed the Batam Satpol PP, although Constitutional Court Decision No. 15/2024 restricts the use of the phrase “other person” in the ITE Law to refer to individuals only and not government institutions.
Read also: Police arrest rights activist allegedly inciting riots
Yusril’s lawyer Khairul Akbar said his client denied the charges.
“This is public criticism, not a criminal offense. Facts revealed during the trial showed that the Satpol PP officer was in uniform and acted outside his authority,” Khairul told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
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