Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Deputy Minister of Law said on Monday (5/1/2026) that under the new Criminal Code, only the President or Vice President and heads of five state institutions are legally entitled to file criminal complaints over alleged insults, as the law took effect on 2 January 2026.

“This provision is strictly limited to the President or Vice President, the People Consultative Assembly, the Regional Representative Council, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, and the Constitutional Court,” Deputy Law Minister Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej said at a press conference, as cited by antaranews.com

He explained that insult-related offenses are classified as complaint-based crimes, meaning legal action can proceed only if a formal report is submitted by the head of the affected institution. The regulation is stipulated in Law No. 1/2023 on the Criminal Code (KUHP), which was enacted after a three-year transition period.

The KUHP differentiates insults against the President from those targeting state institutions, while explicitly exempting acts committed in the public interest or self-defense, reinforcing legal certainty and limiting potential misuse.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)