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4 Indon. L. Rev. 32 (2014)
In Defense of the Freedom of the Press: The Indonesian Playboy Magazine Case Study

handle is hein.journals/indolawrev4 and id is 32 raw text is: 



-32 -


          IN DEFENSE OF THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS:
      THE INDONESIAN PLAYBOY MAGAZINE CASE STUDY



                             M. Sofyan Pulungan1


                                     Abstract
   One of the most observable achievements in the development of liberal democracy
   in Indonesia after the fall of the Soeharto's New Order is the flourishing freedom
   of the press. One notable case was the Indonesian Playboy magazine and court
   decisions pertaining to it, which was successful in drawing massive public and even
   international attention. By thoroughly describing thoughts, feelings, values, and
   beliefs of various actors involved, this article explains the impacts of liberal democracy
   experimentation in Indonesia after the amendment of 1945 Constitution. This case
   has provided an excellent opportunity in observing the rule of law in enforcing the
   freedom of the press in Indonesia facing social cultural elements strongly adhered to
   by Indonesian people.
   Keywords: Freedom of the Press, Indonesian Law Playboy Magazine

                                     Abstrak
   Salah satu pencapaian yang terlihat dalam perkembangan demokrasi liberal di
   Indonesia pasca runtuhnya Orde Baru Soeharto adalah berkembangnya kebebasan
   pers. Kasus yang kemudian cukup krusial adalah majalah Playboy Indonesia dan
   putusan pengadilan yang berkaitan dengannya, yang mana berhasil menarik
   perhatian publik yang masif dan bahkan perhatian dunia internasional. Dengan
   benar-benar mendeskripsikan pemikiran, perasaan, nilai, dan kepercayaan dari
   berbagai pelaku yang terlibat, artikel ini menjelaskan dampak-dampak dari
   percobaan demokrasi liberal di Indonesia pasca amandemen UUD 1945. Kasus ini
   telah membuka kesempatan yang sangat baik dalam mengamati rule of law dalam
   melaksanakan kebebasan pers di Indonesia menghadapi elemen sosial budaya yang
   sangat ditaati oleh masyarakat Indonesia.
   Kata Kunci: Kebebasan Pers, Hukum Indonesia, Majalah Playboy


I. Introduction

      The fall of Soeharto's New Order2 in 1998 signaled the advent of a
new period in Indonesian legal and political history, commonly referred as
the reformation era.3 This period was signified by, amongst others with
amendment of the 1945 constitution, the first ever in the history of Indonesia.

      I Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia. This article is a part of author's thesis defense
as amended in the International Institute for Sociology of Law, Spain, under the supervision of Dr. Angela
Melville. The author can be reached at sofyan.pulungan@gmail.com.
      2 Lindsey, Timothy. (1999). Introduction to an Overview of Indonesian Law in Indonesia Law and
Society. Timothy Lindsey ed., the Federal Press Sydney. p. 1-2. The New Order refers to the administration
under the leadership of Soeharto from March, 1966 to May 21, 1998 where he resigned and succeeded by
Vice President BJ Habibie.
      I Arinanto, Satya. (2003). HakAsasi dalam Transisi Politik di Indonesia (Human Rights on Political
Transition in Indonesia). Pusat Studi Hukum Tata Negara Fakultas Hukum Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta.
p. 247-57


Volume 4 Number 1, January - April 2014 m INDONESIA Law Review

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