Jakarta Police Drop Hotman Paris Investigation After Journalist Union Withdraws Report

Jakarta Police have officially closed the investigation into lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea following the withdrawal of a report filed by the Indonesian Journalists Union (PWI). The PWI had accused Hutapea of insulting the journalism profession, leading to a police inquiry.

The decision to halt the investigation came after PWI submitted a formal letter on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, requesting the withdrawal of the police report. The Head of Public Relations for the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Commissioner Budi Hermanto, confirmed the PWI's action, stating, "Yes, PWI has officially withdrawn the report against HPH."

Hermanto explained that investigators would summon the complainant to confirm the withdrawal request and understand the reasons behind it. Subsequently, a case review would be conducted to finalize the closure of the investigation. The PWI had initially filed the report on Monday, July 20, 2026, citing Hutapea's remarks during a press conference as demeaning to journalists.

Edison Siahaan, Director of the PWI's Anti-Violence Against Journalists division, had previously stated that Hutapea's comments were disrespectful and that the union sought legal processing. The PWI's report was registered under case number LP/B/5291/VII/2026/SPKT/POLDA METRO JAYA, invoking Article 242 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, which addresses insults against population groups. The PWI took issue with Hutapea's response to a journalist's question during a press conference where he was representing former Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Febrie Adriansyah. Hutapea had questioned the journalist's intelligence and criticized the police's search of his client's home as unethical.