JAKARTA – Individuals in Indonesia now face the risk of jail or fines for insulting others by calling them animals such as dogs, following the enforcement of new provisions under the country’s Criminal Code effective from January 2026.
The regulation was reported by Warta Lombok, which said offenders could be sentenced to up to six months in prison or fined as much as 10 million rupiah or aboutRM2,400, under Indonesia’s new Criminal Code (KUHP).
Previously, calling friends or others by insulting animal-related terms was often treated as a form of humour.
However, with the enforcement of the new provisions, such acts may now be classified as minor insults with legal consequences.
The public has been reminded to exercise greater caution in their choice of words, both in public spaces and in everyday conversations.
Under the old KUHP, Article 315 provided that intentional insults, whether spoken or written in public or directly aimed at the affected individual, carried a maximum penalty of four months and two weeks’ imprisonment.
The updated provisions, which will take effect from January 2, 2026, refer to Article 436 of the KUHP, stating that insults not categorised as defamation, whether verbal or written, can be treated as minor insults.
According to Inside Lombok, Trisakti University criminal law expert Abdul Fickar Hadjar confirmed that verbal abuse involving the use of animal names could be subject to prosecution.
He said offences categorised as defamation under Article 433 of the KUHP carry a maximum sentence of nine months’ imprisonment or a fine of up to Rp10 million.
He explained that insults using animal references could also be classified as minor insults as provided under Article 436 of the KUHP.
He added that such offences could carry a maximum prison sentence of six months or a fine of up to RM2,400.