The Number of Murder Cases in Indonesia Soared in 2023

According to a report by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), there were 1,129 murder cases in Indonesia in 2023. This represents a 32.2% increase compared to 2022, which recorded 854 murder cases.

The trend of murder cases in Indonesia from 2018 to 2023 shows fluctuation. The highest number of cases occurred in 2023, while the lowest was recorded in 2021 with 927 cases.

The highest number of reported murder cases were recorded in the jurisdictions of the North Sumatra Regional Police (Polda Sumut) and East Java Regional Police (Polda Jatim), each with 100 cases last year. This was followed by South Sumatra with 75 cases and Papua with 74 cases.

Conversely, the provinces with the fewest reported murder cases were Bangka Belitung Islands Regional Police with 3 cases, followed by Riau Islands with 5 cases and North Kalimantan with 7 cases.

According to the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to life is one of the most fundamental human rights. Furthermore, Article 28A of the 1945 Indonesian Constitution explicitly states, "Everyone has the right to life and the right to maintain life and livelihood."

"Therefore, crimes against life are considered the highest in the hierarchy of international crime classifications and carry the most severe penalties under the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP)," wrote the BPS in its report titled *Criminal Statistics 2023*.