The Program of Religion and Cross-Cultural Studies, or the Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies (CRCS), Graduate School, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), held a discussion titled “New Ideas on Religious Freedom in the 2023 Criminal Code” both offline and online on Thursday (27/02). This event was organized in collaboration between CRCS Graduate School UGM and the Indonesian Scholars Network on Freedom of Religion or Belief (ISFoRB). The two parties had previously organized workshops with community representatives and supporters in several regions.
The discussion was attended by several key figures from relevant institutions, including representatives from the Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Yogyakarta Special Region, the Bantul and Gunung Kidul Police, Civil Society Organization representatives, and participants from four regions: Aceh, West Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and Yogyakarta Special Region.
The Director of CRCS Graduate School UGM, Dr. Samsul Maarif, in his opening speech, stated that this discussion was an effort to respond to the Criminal Code (Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana, KUHP) which was ratified in 2023 and is planned to be implemented starting January 2026.
“There is a new idea that emerges in the 2023 Criminal Code regarding criminal acts related to religious life or belief. This idea is very important to discuss as an effort to advance the way of thinking about nationalism, especially in upholding Human Rights (HR), specifically the freedom of religion/belief, which is the dignity of every human being,” Dr. Samsul said.
The speakers in this discussion included Dr. Zainal Abidin Bagir, Director of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS) UGM, who is also the coordinator for a series of discussions and the writing of a book on religious/belief ideas in the 2023 Criminal Code. Other speakers included Sri Wijayanti Eddyono from the Faculty of Law UGM and Muji Kartika Rahayu, a Corruption Court Judge at the Palangkaraya District Court, who provided strong perspectives on human rights appreciation.
Meanwhile, Vitrin Haryanti from the Yogyakarta Cross-issue Coalition acted as the moderator for the discussion. It is hoped that this discussion will help spread a deeper understanding of criminal acts concerning religion and belief in the 2023 Criminal Code and explore potential issues that might arise from the new ideas introduced in the 2023 Criminal Code regarding religion and belief. The discussion aims to create networks to facilitate communication across sectors concerning the respect for human rights by involving academics, law enforcement officers, civil society, and minority civil society groups vulnerable to these issues.
Author: Asti Rahmaningrum