Indonesia: TikToker jailed for telling Jesus to cut his hair

An Indonesian TikTok user has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for "conversing" with an image of Jesus on her phone and suggesting that Jesus get a haircut. The incident has once again raised concerns about freedom of speech online in Indonesia.

Ratu Thalisa, a Muslim transgender woman with over 442,000 TikTok followers, was live-streaming at the time of the incident and responding to a comment suggesting she cut her hair short to look more like a man. A court in Medan ruled that Thalisa violated the controversial online hate speech law, sentencing her to two years and ten months in prison. The court argued that her comments could disrupt "public order" and "religious harmony," and accused her of blasphemy.

The verdict was handed down after several Christian groups filed blasphemy charges against Ms. Thalisa. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the ruling, calling it a "shocking attack on Ratu Thalisa's freedom of expression" and calling for the verdict to be overturned. Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said in a statement that "Indonesian authorities should not use the country's Electronic Information and Transactions (EIT) Law to punish people for comments they make on social media."

Mr. Hamid called on Indonesian authorities to overturn Ms. Thalisa's conviction and ensure her immediate release. He also urged them to repeal or substantially amend what he described as "problematic articles" in the EIT Law, namely those that criminalize alleged moral indecency, defamation, and hate speech. Amnesty International's data shows that between 2019 and 2024, at least 560 people have been prosecuted for allegedly violating the EIT Law by exercising their freedom of expression, with 421 convicted. Those accused of defamation and hate speech include several social media influencers.

Indonesia has many religious minorities, including Buddhists, Christians, and Hindus. However, the vast majority of Indonesians are Muslim, and most cases involving violations of the EIT Law typically relate to alleged insults to Islam by religious minorities. Ms. Thalisa's case, in which a Muslim woman is accused of inciting hatred against Christianity, is relatively rare. Prosecutors had previously requested a sentence of more than four years and have immediately appealed Monday's verdict. Ms. Thalisa has seven days to appeal.