Indonesia’s efforts to bring special crimes, such as corruption and human rights violations, to justice will be more optimal because the revised Law No. 13/2006 on Witness and Victim Protection has offered both physical and legal protection to whistleblowers and justice collaborators, an expert has said.
Bambang Muryanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Archipelago | Wed, October 15 2014, 6:54 PM
Indonesia’s efforts to bring special crimes, such as corruption and human rights violations, to justice will be more optimal because the revised Law No. 13/2006 on Witness and Victim Protection has offered both physical and legal protection to whistleblowers and justice collaborators, an expert has said.
“During this time, explicit legal protection has been provided only for victims and witnesses. With this revised law, whistleblowers and justice collaborators can also receive protection. This is the important substance of the revised 2006 Law on Witness and Victim Protection,” Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) deputy chairwoman Lies Sulistiani told journalists in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.
The House of Representatives passed the revised 2006 law on Sept. 24 but the President has yet to sign it. In the revised law, 27 articles have several changes.
The most important change is in Article 10, which clearly stipulates that witnesses, victims, whistleblowers and justice collaborators cannot be prosecuted either under criminal or civil charges for testimony or information they have given, are currently giving or will give, unless it is found that they provided the testimony or information with bad intentions.
Moreover, Article 10A of the law stipulates that a witness can be provided special treatment during the examination process. For instance, he or she can give testimony in a hearing without having to be confronted directly by the defendant.
Lies said with the revised law, the LPSK, which used to be under the State Secretariat, was now an independent institution. Its authority was larger and more comprehensive because it could provide psychological, psychosocial and media rehabilitation assistance to victims of traumatic cases, such as terrorism, drug abuse, corruption, human trafficking and child sexual violence, so their lives could return to normal.
LPSK deputy chairman for witness and victim care services, Hasto Atmojo, said with the revised law, it was hoped that Indonesian citizens would no longer be afraid to give testimonies as the state was now able to give them optimal protection.
“I hope the revised law will also improve relations between the LPSK and prosecutors’ offices,” he added. (ebf)(+++)