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LEGAL

The Claim

Criminalizing unregistered polygamy under Article 402 of Indonesia's Law No. 1 of 2023 contradicts the legal principles of mens rea and optimum remedium.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The evidence does not support this claim in the categorical form stated. Article 402 is generally described in authoritative sources as requiring knowledge of a lawful marital impediment, which aligns with a mens rea element rather than negating it. There is real academic criticism that the provision may over-criminalize conduct better handled through civil or administrative law, but that shows a policy dispute over ultimum remedium, not a clear doctrinal contradiction.

Caveats

  • The claim conflates a real academic criticism of overcriminalization with an established legal conclusion that Article 402 violates core criminal-law principles.
  • Article 402 is broader than “unregistered polygamy”; it concerns marrying while knowing a lawful impediment exists, so the framing is materially incomplete.
  • The doctrine is usually discussed as ultimum remedium; using “optimum remedium” risks conceptual imprecision and may overstate what Indonesian law treats as a binding rule.

The Receipts

  1. ANALISIS PASAL 402-403 UNTUK PERLINDUNGAN HAK ...

    Badilag Mahkamah Agung

  2. Konstitusionalitas Norma Sanksi Pidana (background section referencing KUHP baru and criminalization trends)

    Mahkamah Konstitusi Republik Indonesia

  3. Dinamika kriminalisasi perkawinan berhalangan dalam Pasal 402 UU No. 1 Tahun 2023: Analisis yuridis dan perspektif fikih munakahat

    Ditjen Badilag Mahkamah Agung

  4. Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2023 tentang Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana

    Sekretariat Negara Republik Indonesia

  5. [Article on polygamy and Pasal 402 UU No. 1 Tahun 2023]

    Al-Zayn: Jurnal Ilmu

  6. Peran Niat (Mens rea) dalam Pertanggungjawaban Pidana di Indonesia

    Jurnal Jimmi (Fanshur Institute)

  7. Peran Mens Rea dalam Sistem Hukum Pidana

    Assalam: Jurnal Hukum dan Pendidikan

  8. Ultimum Remedium: Antara Prinsip Moral dan Prinsip Hukum

    Fakultas Hukum Universitas Indonesia (law.ui.ac.id)

  9. Mens Rea: Pengertian, Kedudukan dan Penerapan Praktik Peradilan

    Dandapala

  10. Menyibak Tabir Motif dan Mens Rea dalam Perbuatan Pidana Korupsi

    Dandapala

+ 17 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Article 402Law No. 1 of 2023 (Indonesia)Mens ReaOptimum Remedium

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