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Police charge "Jokowi Undercover" author with defamation
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Against defamation – National Police spokesperson Brig.Gen.Rikwanto shows “Jokowi Undercover”, a book reportedly containing slanderous information written by Bambang Tri Mulyono, after a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
T
he National Police have added more charges to the dossier of Bambang Tri Mulyono, the author of a book titled "Jokowi Undercover", who is now under investigation over alleged defamation and hate speech against President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
The National Police have named Bambang a suspect for writing the book about Jokowi, which the police have claimed “is not based on valid data and references”. The police arrested and interrogated Bambang on Friday and he is now being detained at the Jakarta Police detention center.
National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said the police were now charging Bambang with violating Article 207 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) concerning defamation against the government and state institutions.
“[Bambang] has deliberately defamed the government and state institutions, and in this case, Jokowi, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, is the victim,” Boy told a press conference.
(Read also: Obscure author charged with defaming President Jokowi)
Earlier, police investigators charged Bambang with hate speech, claiming that he had violated Article 28 of Law No. 11/2008 on electronic information and transactions (ITE) and Article 16 of Law No. 40/2008 on the elimination of racial and ethnic discrimination.
Bambang, a resident of Jambangan village, Blora, Central Java, wrote in his book that Jokowi and Vice President Jusuf Kalla were elected in 2014 because of the success of press institutions in fooling the public.
Bambang also said Jokowi had falsified data before registering as a presidential candidate. He also wrote that Giriroto in Boyolali regency, Central Java, was the basis of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), which was disbanded in 1966. Giriroto is the village where Jokowi’s mother, Sujiatmi Notomiatdjo, was reportedly born.
In a separate occasion, Sujiatmi has strongly rejected all information written in the book, saying that the content is slanderous because it is not based on facts and truths, kompas.com has reported.
“Let's just hope that he [Bambang] will be forgiven by God and will soon realize [his mistakes],” Sujiatmi said in Surakarta, Central Java. (ebf)
