In a move that has sparked widespread concern over freedom of expression, an Indonesian court has sentenced a popular TikTok creator to nearly three years in prison for allegedly spreading hate speech against Christianity. The incident began when the creator, Ratu Thalisa, a Muslim trans woman with almost 450,000 followers on TikTok, made a comment about a picture of Jesus Christ during a live stream in October last year. After a viewer suggested she should cut her hair to look more like a man, Thalisa jokingly told the picture of Jesus that he should also cut his hair to look like his “father.”
This comment was met with severe backlash, with five Christian groups filing a complaint with the police, accusing Thalisa of blasphemy. She was subsequently arrested on October 8. The court’s decision has been widely criticized, with many arguing that it represents a concerning attack on free speech in Indonesia. Thalisa was found guilty under the country’s Electronic Information and Transactions (EIT) law, with the court ruling that her comments could disturb public order and religious harmony. In addition to her prison sentence, she has also been ordered to pay a fine of approximately $6,300.
Usman Hamid, the executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, has condemned the ruling, stating that it is a shocking attack on Thalisa’s freedom of expression. He argued that the EIT law should not be used to prosecute individuals for their comments on social media and that Thalisa’s words did not constitute hate speech. While acknowledging that Indonesia should have laws to prevent the spread of religious hate speech that can lead to discrimination, hostility, or violence, Hamid emphasized that Thalisa’s comment did not meet this threshold. The ruling, according to him, reflects the increasingly authoritarian application of the EIT law, which is being used to suppress freedom of expression.
Hamid has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Thalisa and for the Indonesian government to repeal or amend the problematic provisions in the EIT law that are used to criminalize speech related to morality, blasphemy, and hate speech. This case is not isolated; according to Amnesty International, since 2019, at least 560 people have been charged under the EIT law for various offenses, including blasphemy and spreading hate speech. Thalisa is one of several individuals who have been convicted of blasphemy in recent years, with most cases involving defamation of Islam.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has a population of 231 million, with at least 93% of adults identifying as Muslim. The country’s laws and their application are under increasing scrutiny as the balance between religious sensibilities and freedom of expression continues to be a contentious issue. The sentence handed down to Thalisa has significant implications for the future of free speech in Indonesia and highlights the challenges faced by individuals, especially from minority groups, in expressing themselves without fear of persecution.