On Tuesday (August 12, 2025), the Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham) for the Special Region of Yogyakarta held a legal awareness session on Law No. 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP) at RM Puri Mataram Resto & Wahana Wisata in Sleman. This event served as a means to enhance understanding and prepare local government officials for the implementation of the National Criminal Code, which will take effect on January 2, 2026.
The event was opened by Soleh Joko Sutopo, Head of the Division of Legislation and Legal Development at the Kemenkumham Regional Office for the Special Region of Yogyakarta, and was attended by government representatives from the provincial, regency, and village levels. Participants included the Heads of the Community Empowerment and Village Affairs Offices of Bantul and Sleman Regencies, the Heads of the Legal Affairs Sections of the Regional Secretariats of all regencies and cities in the DIY region, village heads, and neighborhood heads from across the DIY region.
In his opening remarks, Soleh emphasized the strategic role of neighborhood heads as the frontline of government who interact directly with the community. He stressed that Law No. 1 of 2023 represents a fundamental overhaul that replaces the more than century-old colonial-era Criminal Code (KUHP), and has now been aligned with the values of Pancasila and the legal needs of contemporary society.
The keynote speaker, Muhammad Fatahillah Akbar, a lecturer in the Department of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law, Gadjah Mada University, outlined the key provisions of the new Criminal Code, ranging from regulations on cybercrime to customary criminal law. He emphasized that this outreach effort is crucial to avoid public misunderstanding and ensure that implementation proceeds in line with the objectives of the national criminal law reform.
This initiative is also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) through capacity building for legal institutions and improving public access to accurate legal information. In addition, this initiative contributes to SDG 4 (Quality Education) by providing relevant legal training for government officials, as well as SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through collaboration between the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Special Region of Yogyakarta and the Faculty of Law at UGM in promoting inclusive legal reform.
