A variety of reactions to the issue of police regulations that look at foreign journalists

Tempo.co,, Jakarta – Head of the Indonesian National Police (Kapolic) Listyo Sigit Prabowo has just published the Police Regulations (Perrol) number 3 of 2025 concerning the functional supervision of foreigners. Perrol signed on March 10, 2025 forces foreign researchers and journalists to have a police certificate.

The issue of these regulations caused a reaction of many parts. The reason, it is to fear that the rules will actually take a bad impact.

AJI and the press council make criticism

The president of the press council Ninik Rahayu deplored the issuance of the perpol which would regulate the issuance of the police certificate (SKK) for the foreign journalist. He considered that the regulation had the potential to violate the principles of democratic and press independence.

“This provision can be interpreted as a control and supervision of journalist's work,” said Ninik through a written declaration received Tempo Friday April 4, 2025.

According to Ninik, the function of press supervision, including foreign journalists, should be the full authority of the press council. “The press council recommends a 3/2025 PERM exam,” said Ninik.

The president of the independent journalist Alliance (AJI) Nani Afrida assessed that the rule clearly threatened press freedom. In addition, Nani said, the rule was established by not referring to law number 40 of 1999 concerning the press. “By covering, journalists have no restrictions,” said Nani on Wednesday, April 3, 2025.

Nani has so far declared any provision required that journalists cover in the specified locations. Journalists have the right to fulfill their functions everywhere while following the provisions.

Perpol can disrupt the research ecosystem

Not only journalists, but the regulations also have the potential to be a threat to university life, especially on research work. In fact, the contribution of foreign researchers is considered to be important enough to maintain the balance and preservation of nature to biodiversity.

“This will threaten academic freedom and in the future of the scientific future for humanity and civilization at the same time Indonesian,” said the Indonesian Caucus for Academic Freedom (Kika) Herlambang P Wiratraman, in Tempo, on Friday April 4, 2025.

According to Herlambang, before the publication of the perpol, the promulgation of excessive authority to foreign researchers occurred a lot. The practice of this type of restriction, said Herlambang has shown that government policies that were far from the scientific process, AKA Antisans Politics.

“Foreign researchers are increasingly reluctant to collaborate in research with Indonesia, because with the existing license system, they are already outdated because they do not feel clear,” said Herlambang.

Opportunities that overlap the rules after the passage of the perpol

The President of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation Muhammad Isnur said that the regulation would hide the press and the Immigration Act. In addition, the implementation will also overlap the authority of the Ministry of Immigration and Correction.

“This is a lot of things, for example the press law and the immigration law,” ISNUR said in Tempo on Wednesday April 2, 2025.

The Minister of Immigration and the General Correctional Commissioner (Retired) agus Andrianto himself denied himself. “There will be no overlapping authority. It is precisely complementary in the maintenance and protection of the Republic of Indonesia,” said Agus Tempo Wednesday April 2, 2025.

AGUS said Perpol should not collide with the Ministry of Immigration and Correction because it is internal. “He regulates internal police supervision agents,” he said.

Daniel Ahmad Fajri,, Irsan HasyimAnd Eka Yudha Saputra Contribute to the drafting of this article.