Dr. Al Chaidar Abdurrahman Puteh, M.Si
Department of Anthropology, Malikussaleh University, Lhokseumawe, Aceh
Herlambang P. Wiratraman’s research from the Research Center for Law and Social Justice (LSJ) UGM Law introduces the compelling and urgent concept of “digiticide.” This new term is proposed to describe a systematic human rights violation occurring in the digital realm, drawing crucial insights from Indonesia’s own digital experiences. Wiratraman’s work aims to unravel the complexities of this phenomenon, particularly in the context of what he terms the “politics of autocrat inc.”
At its core, the concept of digiticide seeks to highlight how digital attacks and policies can systematically suppress, silence, or erase the digital presence and agency of individuals or groups, effectively violating their human rights in a way analogous to physical harm or cultural destruction. It extends the understanding of human rights violations into the increasingly vital digital space.
How should governments be held accountable for preventing digiticide? This involves examining the role of state actors in either perpetrating or failing to prevent systematic digital harms.
Can digital attacks, like the deployment of Pegasus spyware or the actions of cyber troops (state-sponsored or otherwise), be held legally accountable under existing cyber policies or through new global cooperation frameworks? This points to the challenge of attributing responsibility and enforcing justice in the often-anonymous digital landscape.
Perhaps the most ambitious aspect of this research is the proposition of applying “digiticide” as a new legal framework within the United Nations human rights system. This would involve formalizing the concept into international law, allowing for greater recognition and prosecution of these digital human rights abuses on a global scale.
By coining and developing the concept of digiticide, Herlambang P. Wiratraman’s research opens up a vital discourse on the evolving nature of human rights in the digital age. It challenges existing legal and ethical paradigms to encompass the full spectrum of harm that can be inflicted through digital means, urging for proactive measures and robust international legal mechanisms to protect individuals and societies from this emerging form of systematic violation.
Herlambang P. Wiratraman is a prominent Indonesian legal scholar, widely recognized for his expertise in Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Law and Society, and Freedom of the Press. He currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Constitutional Law at the Faculty of Law, Gadjah Mada University (UGM). He is also the Director of the Research Center for Law and Social Justice (LSJ) at UGM Law. Previously, he was a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Center of Human Rights Law Studies (HRLS) at the Faculty of Law, Airlangga University.
Educational Background and Academic Approach
Herlambang P. Wiratraman earned his Bachelor of Laws (SH) degree from the Faculty of Law, Airlangga University (1998). He then pursued a Master of Arts (MA) in Human Rights and Social Development at Mahidol University, Thailand (2006), and obtained his Doctor of Laws (Dr. in Science of Law) from Leiden Law School, Netherlands (2014).
He is known for his interdisciplinary approach to legal studies, integrating other fields such as history, politics, sociology, communication, and psychology to comprehensively understand legal and social realities. This approach allows for a deeper analysis of complex legal and human rights issues.
Research Focus and Contributions
Herlambang P. Wiratraman’s research spans a range of crucial topics, including: Constitutional Struggles in Southeast Asia; Academic Freedom and the Rise of Authoritarianism; Law and Politics in Indonesia; Freedom of Expression and Human Rights; Adat Law (Customary Law) and Agrarian Conflicts.
More recently, Herlambang P. Wiratraman introduced the concept of “digiticide” as a systematic human rights violation occurring in the digital realm. This concept aims to explain how digital attacks and policies can systematically suppress, silence, or erase the digital presence and agency of individuals or groups. His research on digiticide also explores governmental responsibility in preventing it, the legal accountability for digital attacks like the use of Pegasus spyware, and the proposal to establish digiticide as a new legal framework within the UN human rights system.
Herlambang P. Wiratraman’s contributions are highly relevant for understanding the evolving challenges in law and human rights in the digital age and the contemporary political context in Indonesia.
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