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View all search resultsPress Council criticizes celebrity lawyer for jibes at journalists
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Lawyer Hotman Paris gestures while speaking at a press conference on a corruption case implicating his client, former assistant attorney general for special crimes Febrie Adriansyah, at the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) headquarters in Jakarta on July 17, 2026. (Antara/Fakhri Hermansyah)
T
he Press Council has issued a statement criticizing celebrity lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea for his insulting comments toward journalists, saying his response undermined the role of the press in seeking information protected under the law.
The incident occurred at a press conference at the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) building in South Jakarta on Friday, where Hotman was responding to questions about his client, former assistant attorney general for special crimes Febrie Adriansyah, who has been implicated in a corruption case.
When asked whether Febrie believed he had been unfairly targeted by law enforcement institutions, Hotman did not answer directly but turned on the reporter instead.
“Use your common sense. What, are you brainless?” the lawyer said, in comments that went viral across social media in the following days.
Hotman also responded to a similar question about a possible “hidden agenda” targeting Febrie by saying, “Well, ask your grandfather. Why would you ask me?”
The remarks quickly drew criticism from various journalist organizations, including the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Legal Journalists Association (Iwakum), which described his comments as demeaning toward journalists.
In a statement on Monday, Press Council chair Komaruddin Hidayat said his organization regretted that Hotman responded to the journalists’ questions “in a belittling tone”.
