UNAIR NEWS – The Public Prosecutor (JPU) for the murder of Brigadier Yosua demanded a life sentence for the accused Ferdy Sambo. Since the news emerged, there has been a misunderstanding about the true meaning of a life sentence.
Some public thought that a life sentence was a sentence according to the age of the accused at that time. For example, Ferdy Sambo is 50 years old and gets a life sentence, so he must be imprisoned for 50 years. After 50 years, he will be free, but the meaning of a life sentence is not like that.
Responding to this misunderstanding, a criminal law expert at Faculty of Law (FH) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) Riza Alifianto Kurniawan SH MTCP explained that a life sentence is a sanction for serious crimes. One of them is a premeditated murder in accordance with the provisions of Article 340 of the Criminal Code (KUHP).
“This life sentence is actually a second alternative to premeditated murder. The main sanction is the death penalty,” explained Riza in an interview with UNAIR NEWS on Monday, January 23, 2023.
Life sentence
The UNAIR FH lecturer also said that the defendant Ferdy Sambo should be sentenced to life imprisonment based on the prosecutor’s considerations and evidence at trial. The prosecutor’s team, he continued, could prove that the defendant Ferdy Sambo committed the crime of premeditated murder. The verdict, he continued, could occur if the judge agreed to the prosecutor’s sentence recommendation.
“The penalty for life imprisonment means that a proven guilty defendant will be sentenced to life in prison until he dies,” said Riza.
As for misunderstandings and multiple interpretations related to life imprisonment, Riza said it was natural for this to happen because not all people understand and have competence in law. Law science, said Riza, has an interpretation that requires higher education to understand the contents of the law and its procedural law.
Media role
In its closing statement, Riza conveyed that the best way to educate the public and avoid misunderstanding the meaning of a life sentence is through the mass media. According to him, the mass media can play a role in educating the public about the Ferdy Sambo case.
“The mass media can publish the opinions of legal experts so the public can understand that information related to the issues in the case,” he concluded. (*)
Author: Dewi Yugi Arti
Editor: Feri Fenoria
