der Administrator eines Parodie-Accounts ist in Indonesien verhaftet worden – ohne Haftbefehl und unter Verletzung des Rechtes auf freie Meinungsäußerung. Grundlage ist erneut das Gesetz über Information und Elektronische Transaktion (ITE – Law)
Amnesty slams arrest of parody account @TheKerupuk administrator over critical meme
Tribunnews.com – July 16, 2026
Rahmat Fajar Nugraha, Jakarta — Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid has responded to the arrest and charging of Risyad Azhary alias Icad, the administrator of the X parody account @TheKerupuk.
Icad was arrested by police and named a suspect for posting a meme critical of the government. According to Hamid the arrest violates the principle of justices because it was carried out without an arrest warrant.
„We strongly condemn the arbitrary arrest of the administrator of the X account @TheKerupuk simply for posting a meme allegedly critical of the government. This is an illegal act of law enforcement and violates the principle of justice because the arrest was carried out without an arrest warrant“, said Hamid on Thursday July 16.
„Not only that the administrator was still a witness when the arrest was carried out by police and they also made it difficult for him to meet with his legal counsel“, he added.
Hamid explained that peaceful expression, no matter how offensive, whether through art, including satire, political memes, and parodies, is not a criminal offense. He believes the National Police’s (Polri) response clearly criminalises freedom of expression in digital space.
„It is truly ironic and difficult to accept that the police applied Article 32 paragraph (1) and Article 35 of the ITE Law [Information and Electronic Transaction Law] which carries a penalty of up to 12 years in prison simply for posting a meme criticising the government“, he explained.
He also believes the arrest contradicts the spirit of the Constitutional Court’s (MK) ruling which stated that uproar on social media is not considered a crime.
„Polri’s defiance of the MK ruling reflects the authoritarian attitude of the authorities which employ a repressive response in the public sphere“, he said.
Consequently, Hamid is urging the National Police to immediately order the Tangerang City Metropolitan Police to halt the investigation and unconditionally release the administrator of the @TheKerupuk account.
„The use of problematic articles like those under the ITE Law to silence criticism is an injustice that must be stopped immediately. This is a violation of human rights“, he asserted.
In addition to this, Hamid also believes that repeated arbitrary arrests such as this demonstrate the urgent need for the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to sit down together to revise the problematic articles in the ITE Law.
„This is crucial to ensure that no more citizens or activists are criminalised just for peacefully speaking out on social media. Without revising the ITE Law, anyone in Indonesia could be subject to criminalisation“, he concluded.
As is known, the right to freedom of expression is guaranteed by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Indonesia has also ratified through Law Number 12/2005.
Under national law, the right to freedom of expression is also guaranteed in the 1945 Constitution, specifically Article 28E paragraph (3), and also Article 23 paragraph (2) of Law Number 39/1999 on Human Rights.
Detained for two days
Icad was arrested by Tangerang City Metropolitan Police on Tuesday July 14, allegedly for a meme posted on the X social media account „TheKerupuk“.
After two days of detention at the Tangerang City Metro Police starting on Tuesday evening, he was finally released on Thursday July 16 at around 4.30 pm.
Icad’s release came after the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) filed a request for his release from detention, along with a guarantor.
Although Icad is currently only required to report to police and undergo further legal proceedings, he has been named a suspect and charged under Article 32 paragraphs (1) and 35 of the ITE Law.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was „Amnesty Kecam Penangkapan Admin Akun Parodi TheKerupuk, Sebut Kriminalisasi Kritik di Ruang Digital“.]