Why is Indonesia’s draft criminal code so controversial?

Medan, Indonesia – Indonesia is once again facing a potential legal crisis as the passage of its controversial draft criminal code – a complete overhaul of the current criminal code – looks imminent.

Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, the deputy law and human rights minister, has said that the legislation should be passed no later than July this year – although no date has been publicly announced.

The draft of the new code was made public in 2019, triggering demonstrations across the…