"We already have a Criminal Code (KUHP)," Hikmahanto said here on Friday.
Hikmahanto assessed that Indonesian citizens who intend to leave for Syria to join ISIS and their sponsors can be charged under some existing provisions in the KUHP.
He explained that Book 2, Chapter 3, of the Criminal Code regulates crimes against the companions of the state and their heads.
"In Section 139a, any assault for the purpose of releasing an area or other areas of neighboring countries for the ruling government shall be punished with a maximum sentence of 5 years in jail," he affirmed.
The article, according to Hikmahanto, can be used against citizens associated with ISIS, considering that it has been involved in combating the legitimate governments of Iraq and Syria, which are two friendly countries for Indonesia.
Earlier, ISIS used to recruit followers from the closest families or relatives of its existing members, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) observed.
"ISIS recruited from among their closest friends or even from the members of their families because it relied on the trust factor," Director of De-radicalization Affairs of the BNPT, Irfan Idris, pointed out.
He added that it is easier to convince people to follow a certain faith when they already have close family members, relatives, or friends involved in it.
"The possibility of influencing people you are close to is higher, particularly in Indonesia where many religious faiths are relegated to children from parents," he explained.
According to Idris, several members of the radical Islamist group have revealed that they were first prompted to follow the ideology of ISIS by their closest friends or relatives.
They also revealed that the dispatch of members for ISIS was funded by their family members or from family funds.
Therefore, an existing member of ISIS can easily recruit new ones because when a family is influenced, they continue to support their belief.
He has cautioned Indonesian families and people in general to watch out for any suspicious activity of their friends or relatives.
"Everyone should exercise caution and should not be easily swayed by illogical offers or promises," the BNPT official remarked.
A063/INE/f001
EDITED BY INE.
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
