Of the 104 suspects, 17 have been detained, while 87 others have notJakarta (ANTARA) - Some 17 out of 104 people are under police detention on grounds of spreading false information or hoaxes pertaining to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
"Of the 104 suspects, 17 have been detained, while 87 others have not," Chief of the Public Information Bureau of the Public Relations Division at the National Police Brigadier General Awi Setiyono stated at the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) here on Tuesday.
The figure was derived from a report of the Directorate of Cyber Crimes at the Bareskrim during the period from January 30 to November 24, 2020, he remarked.
Most of the hoax cases, reaching 14, were found in the jurisdiction of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, followed by the East Java Provincial Police, with 12 cases, and the Riau Provincial Police, with nine cases.
Some of the hoaxes pertained to false information about people succumbing to COVID-19, when in fact, they died of other causes.
The other false information was that about the spread of COVID-19 not aligning with the official data, foreign nationals to Indonesia being carriers of COVID-19, doctored photos linked to COVID-19, and humiliation of state officials, among others.
Setiyono noted that the suspects are charged under Articles 28 and 45 of the Electronic Information and Transaction Law, Articles 14 and 15 of Law No. 1 of 1946, and Article 16 of Law on Eliminating Discrimination against Races and Ethnic Groups.
Indonesia reported the first confirmed COVID-19 case in March 2020.
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Translator: Anita Permata D/Suharto
Editor: Sri Haryati
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