Questioning Human Rights, Looking for Justice: Analyzing the Impact of Supreme Court Circular Letter on Interfaith Marriages in Indonesia

Indrayanti, Kadek Wiwik, Saraswati, Anak Agung Ayu Nanda and Putra, Eka Nugraha (2024) Questioning Human Rights, Looking for Justice: Analyzing the Impact of Supreme Court Circular Letter on Interfaith Marriages in Indonesia. Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 9 (1). pp. 385-416. ISSN 2548-1584

[thumbnail of JILS+9(1)_2024_13.pdf] Text
JILS+9(1)_2024_13.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike.

Download (4MB)

Abstract

The issuance of Supreme Court Circular Letter (SEMA) Number 2 of 2023 concerning Guidelines for Judges in Adjudicating Cases on Applications for Registration of Marriages between People of Different Religious Beliefs has caused problems regarding interfaith marriages in Indonesia. Both conceptually and in practice, interfaith marriages have long been controversial. Using a human rights approach, this article analyzes SEMA's position in the hierarchy of laws and regulations and the impact of SEMA Number 2 of 2023 on the independence of judges and the practice of interfaith marriages in Indonesia. The results of the analysis indicate that SEMA Number 2 of 2023 is contrary to human rights principles, especially the principles of religious rights, the right to choose a partner and the right to get married. Although the content of SEMA should only be related to technical matters of court processes, SEMA Number 2 of 2023 targets the substance of citizens’ rights; it asks judges to reject requests for the validation of interfaith marriages, even though the issue is clearly regulated by the Law on Population Administration. As a result, the chances of validating interfaith marriages through court decisions are closed. This policy not only limits the independence of judges in deciding such cases but also violates the human rights of citizens.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: Supreme Court Circular Letter (SEMA) | Interfaith Marriage | Human Rights | Indonesia
Subjects: Social Sciences and humanities > Social Sciences > Social Sciences (General)
Social Sciences and humanities > Social Sciences > Human Rights
Social Sciences and humanities > Social Sciences > Law and Legal Studies
JGU School/Centre: Jindal Global Law School
Depositing User: Dharmveer Modi
Date Deposited: 23 Oct 2024 14:04
Last Modified: 23 Oct 2024 14:04
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.vol9i1.4634
URI: https://pure.jgu.edu.in/id/eprint/8703

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item
View Item