Hotman Paris Apologizes for 'Inappropriate' Remarks to Journalists

Lawyer Hotman Paris has apologized for his "inappropriate" remarks to journalists during a press conference regarding the case of former Junior Attorney General Febrie Adriansyah. Paris, who is representing Adriansyah in a corruption and money laundering investigation by the Attorney General's Office, admitted to becoming emotional and using words that could be seen as demeaning.

"In response to the appeal from the Indonesian Journalists Association and other fellow journalists, I hereby express my sincerest apologies for my statement during the press conference in the former Junior Attorney General's case, which said 'don't you have a brain?'" Paris stated in an Instagram post on Monday.

Paris explained that the viral quote only captured the end of the exchange. He recounted that a journalist first asked if related agencies had a "hidden agenda." Paris stated he didn't know and lacked the capacity to answer. Before he could finish his explanation, a second journalist asked if the agency had made a mistake. Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions after already stating his lack of knowledge, Paris admits he became emotional and uttered the phrase, "don't you have a brain?"

"I had already answered, I don't know, I don't know the hidden agenda of law enforcers, that was roughly what actually happened," Hotman said. He acknowledged his emotional state and reiterated his apology to the specific journalist and journalism organizations in Indonesia. "Because I have always been close to journalists, once again, there was no intention whatsoever, but because I was bombarded with two questions that I said I didn't know, I became emotional," he added.