Lawyers' Protest Against the Supreme Court

Last Wednesday, one hundred lawyers of the Congress of Indonesian Advocates (KAI) held a violent protest at the Supreme Court in Jakarta.

The protest was sparked by a statement by the Chief of the Supreme Court Harifin A. Tumpa on 24 June which only recognized the Association of Indonesian Advocates (Peradi) as the only Bar Association in Indonesia, thereby causing uncertainty on the legitimacy of lawyer licenses issued by other lawyer/ advocate organizations in Indonesia.

The lawyers came at around 10 a.m to meet Harifin, but was denied by the Court's officers who shut all  entrance gates. Angered by this bad reception, the lawyers forcefully opened the gate and made their way inside the Court lobby, shouting and bring down the photo of Harifin from the wall and kicked it..

The lawyers calmed down after Harifin and other Supreme Judges finally agreed to meet them. According to the Chairman of KAI Indra Sainun Lubis, the Supreme Court shall revise its decision within one week.He also warned that if the Court failed to do that 3,000 lawyers will demonstrate.

On the next day, the Court has submitted an official report with the Police, alleging that the lawyers have damaged the Court's gate, cracking glass window, bringing down and kicking the photo of the Court's Chief and defaming that the Court's Judge has received bribe from Peradi. .

Considering that lawyers are citizens who have been granted license to practice laws in the courts of law, therefore deemed to be more knowledgeable about the laws and regulations, the above incident is a tragedy. I hope this case would be settled amicably but properly based on the laws and regulations in Indonesia.

Sources for this post :
-  Ratusan Advokat KAI Demo MA (Hukumonline) 
-  Protes MA, Aksi Para Advokat Berlangsung Ricuh (Tempo) 
-  Demo Advokat di Gedung MA Ricuh (VivaNews)
-  MA Janji Revisi SK dalam 1 Minggu, Pengacara Bubarkan Diri (Detik)
-  MA Laporkan Insiden Demo KAI ke Polisi (Hukumonline)