Additional Name(s): Roy Suryo Notodiprojo
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Indonesia
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 9 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: August/5/2022
Date of Sentencing: December/28/2022
Date of Release: May/2/2023
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures) Online Activity
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Hate Speech Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials
Roy Suryo
Extra Bio Info:
Roy Suryo was imprisoned for blasphemy.
On August 5, 2022, police arrested Suryo, the former Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs, for tweeting out an image of President Joko Widodo's face digitally imposed on a Buddhist statue. Suryo's tweet reportedly came after the government announced plans to raise the entry price to get into the Borobudur Temple. Suryo was reportedly charged with “disseminating information aimed at inflicting hatred or dissension on individuals and/or certain groups of community based on ethnic groups, religions, races, and inter-groups” (Art. 28(2) Electronic Information and Transaction (ITE)) and “insulting a religion" or "preventing a person from adhering to any religion based on a belief in God” (Art. 156a ICC) as well as under Law Number 1 of 1946 for disseminating false information.
On December 28, 2022, the West Jakarta District Court sentenced Suryo to nine months in prison.
On February 10, 2023, the Jakarta High Court upheld Suryo's sentence and imposed a fine of 150 million rupiah or two additional months in jail.
In May 2023, the Supreme Court rejected Suryo's appeal.
On May 2, 2023, Suryo was released after completing his sentence.
Publicly Available Information:
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Photo attributed to Election Commission, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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"Roy Suryo Bebas Penjara di Kasus Meme Jokowi" Cable News Network (CNN)
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"Roy Suryo Bebas Usai Jalani Vonis 9 Bulan Bui di Kasus Meme Stupa" Detik
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2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Indonesia U.S. Department of State
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"Ex-Minister Roy Suryo Convicted of Hate Speech" Jakarta Globe
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"Bacakan Pleidoi, Roy Suryo Minta Dibebaskan dan Nama Baik Dibersihkan" Cable News Network (CNN)
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USCIRF Issue Update: ASEAN States' Blasphemy Laws October 19, 2022
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"Baca artikel CNN Indonesia "Roy Suryo Didakwa Penodaan Agama di Kasus Stupa Borobudur Mirip Jokowi" Cable News Network (CNN)
- "Yet Another Victim of Indonesia’s Blasphemy Law" Human Rights Watch
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"Roy Suryo arrested over post of Jokowi's face on Buddhist statue" The Jakarta Post
Additional Name(s): Dika Eka
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Indonesia
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: May/5/2022
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Texts) Online Activity
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy
Cepdika Eka Rismana
Extra Bio Info:
Cepdika Eka Rismana is imprisoned for blasphemy.
On May 5, 2022, police in West Java province arrested Rismana after a video of him stepping on a Qur'an went viral. Authorities also arrested his wife for allegedly uploading the video on social media.
On September 19, 2022, the Sukabumi District Court sentenced him to four years' imprisonment and fined him 100 million rupiah for "committing acts that are hostile or blasphemous against a religion" (Article 156a ICC).
Publicly Available Information:
- 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Indonesia U.S. Department of State
- USCIRF Issue Update: ASEAN States' Blasphemy Laws October 19, 2022
- "Indonesian faces blasphemy charge for desecrating Quran" Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News)
Oct 27
Oct 27th 10:30am
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Oct 27th 12:00pm
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
U.S. Policy and Freedom of Religion or Belief in North Korea
Thursday, October 27, 2022
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM ET
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held a virtual hearing on freedom of religion or belief in North Korea and recommendations for U.S. foreign policy.
A monumental 2014 report by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea found that “there is an almost complete denial of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.” Two recent USCIRF research reports found that the North Korean government continues to treat religion as an existential threat and to perpetrate horrific religious freedom violations against its own people. However, nuclear and security issues tend to dominate bilateral and multilateral negotiations with North Korea, often overshadowing human rights and religious freedom concerns.
Witnesses provided the latest updates on religious freedom in the country and discussed recommendations for U.S. policy toward North Korea, including the status of the important position of the Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues.
- Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA)
Recorded Remarks - Abraham Cooper, Vice Chair, USCIRF
Written Remarks - Frederick A. Davie, Commissioner, USCIRF
Written Remarks
Panel
- Robert King, former U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, U.S. Department of State; Senior Adviser (Non-resident), Korea Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Written Testimony - Shirley Lee, Consultant, Korea Future
Written Testimony - Inje Hwang, Investigator, Korea Future
Written Testimony - Jinmyung Choi, North Korean defector
Written Testimony
This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. Members of the media should register online and can email [email protected] for any questions or to schedule an interview. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected] or (202) 702-2778.