Jakarta, IO – Alwi Husein Maulana, the perpetrator of revenge porn from Pandeglang, Banten, was sentenced to six years in prison and had his internet access rights revoked.
In the verdict read out by the head judge of Pandeglang District Court, Hendy Eka Chandra, who found the defendant deliberately and convincingly spreading or distributing electronic information that has moral content, per BBC Indonesia, Tuesday (18/7).
“Because of this, the defendant Alwi Husaeni Maolana was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine of Rp1 billion or a subsidiary of three months in prison,” said Hendy.
The judge also handed down an additional sentence to Alwi in the form of revocation of the right to use and utilize internet-based electronic communication devices for eight years which took effect from Thursday (13/7).
National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) commissioner Siti Aminah Tardi said the Pandeglang District Court decision to revoke the defendant’s internet access rights was a legal breakthrough.
The punishment is rarely handed down by a judge. She said the verdict should set a precedent or a reference for other judges in handling other cases related to electronic information and transactions (ITE).
In addition, according to Siti, legal breakthroughs such as in the Pandeglang case can be adopted by the House and the government, which are currently debating the bill on amendments to ITE Law.
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Data from Komnas Perempuan in 2021 shows that there were 71 cases of gender-based violence, the majority of which were committed by ex-partners. Meanwhile, cases of online gender-based violence have increased rapidly, from 281 cases in 2019 to 942 cases in 2020.
Even though there is a lot of data that points to online gender-based violence, they are often difficult to prosecute, constrained by lack of evidence. (rr)