A transgender TikTok influencer, Ratu Thalisa, has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison in Indonesia for allegedly making blasphemous remarks about Jesus Christ during a livestream.
The social media personality, who has over 440,000 followers under the handle @ratuentokglowskincare, was also fined 100 million rupiah ($10,000 NZD) after being found guilty of spreading hate speech against Christianity.
What Led to the Arrest?
During a livestream, a viewer told Thalisa to cut her hair to avoid looking like a woman. In response, she held up a photo of Jesus and said:
“You should not look like a woman. You should cut your hair so that you will look like his father.”
The comment prompted five Christian groups to file a blasphemy complaint on 2 October 2024, leading to her arrest four days later.
On 10 March 2025, a district court in Medan, North Sumatra, found her guilty, ruling that her comments could disrupt public order and religious harmony.
Human Rights Groups Condemn the Verdict
The conviction has sparked outrage among human rights organisations, with Amnesty International calling for her immediate release.
Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director, Usman Hamid, condemned the ruling:
“This prison sentence is a shocking attack on Ratu Thalisa’s freedom of expression. The Indonesian authorities should not use the country’s Electronic Information and Transactions (EIT) law to punish people for comments made on social media.”
Hamid further argued that Thalisa’s remarks did not meet the threshold for inciting discrimination, hostility, or violence, and criticised the repressive application of Indonesia’s EIT law, which has frequently been used to criminalise speech.
“The authorities must quash Ratu Thalisa’s conviction, ensure her immediate and unconditional release, and repeal or make substantial revisions of problematic provisions in the law criminalising ‘immorality,’ defamation, and hate speech.”
A Pattern of Crackdowns on Free Speech?
Indonesia has long faced criticism from human rights organizations for its strict blasphemy laws, which disproportionately affect religious minorities, activists, and LGBTQ+ individuals. The country’s Electronic Information and Transactions (EIT) law has also been widely condemned as a tool for censorship and political repression.
With growing international scrutiny, Thalisa’s case has ignited debate about freedom of expression, religious tolerance, and LGBTQ+ rights in Indonesia. Whether authorities will heed calls to revise the law or uphold the harsh sentence remains to be seen.
