The Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) has officially filed a police report with the Metro Jaya Regional Police against prominent lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea over allegations of insulting the journalism profession. The report follows comments made by Hotman in a video circulating on social media, which PWI believes demeaned journalists while they were carrying out their reporting duties.
Edison Siahaan, Director of PWI Central’s Anti-Violence Against Journalists Division, said the report was filed because the remarks had offended members of the press and were considered an attack on the dignity of the journalism profession.
“This incident has hurt the feelings of journalists and insulted the journalism profession. We are reporting the individual who questioned whether journalists ‘have brains,’ even though journalists were simply carrying out their duties in accordance with the Press Law,” Edison said in Jakarta on Monday (July 20, 2026).
According to Edison, although Hotman Paris has publicly apologized, PWI believes the apology does not reflect genuine remorse. Therefore, the organization has decided to proceed with legal action and has submitted the video recording as evidence to investigators.
The report has been officially registered with the Metro Jaya Regional Police under report number LP/B/5291/VII/2026/SPKT Polda Metro Jaya. PWI stated that the legal action has also received support from several press organizations and journalist communities across Indonesia.
Earlier, the Indonesian Senior Journalists Association (SWSI) also urged Hotman Paris to issue a public clarification and apology as a sign of respect for the journalism profession. SWSI emphasized that press freedom and journalists’ right to ask questions are protected under Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press.
Similarly, the Indonesian Editors Forum (Forum Pemred) expressed regret over Hotman Paris’ remarks during a press conference regarding the case involving former Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes, Febrie Adriansyah. Forum Pemred Chairwoman Retno Pinasti stated that the language used was unprofessional and belittled journalists who were performing their journalistic duties.
