Legal Notice No. 079/SOMASI/RW/X/2026: Kukuh Setiawan (English Edition)
This post summarises Somasi No. 079/SOMASI/RW/X/2026, a formal legal notice I sent on 1 October 2026 to Mr. Kukuh Setiawan, whom I identify as the holder of the Threads account @kukuh.setiawan. The letter was issued in Indonesian and English because he appears to live in Australia. It is a legal notice, not a police report, court filing or finding. He has not responded here, and I do not assert that he is guilty of any offence.
What the letter is about
The notice concerns three acts on Threads over roughly two days. I have no personal, contractual or professional relationship with the account holder, and he was not a party to the dispute he commented on.
- Act 1: a sarcastic "apology" post and a follow-up reply. The post named me in full and cited my job title, university, cum laude status and GPA, and mocked the legal steps I had taken by asking not to be "showered with somasi from the Gandiva bow of Rahmat Wibowo the Arjuna." It had 36 likes, 3 replies, 2 reposts and 4 shares when I captured it (Evidence E-1). Answering another account that called me a "crazy kid", he then wrote in Javanese; in my translation: "Meaning, this guy is only funny when his grandiosity is flattered, so that he becomes crazier." I read this as stating the purpose of the first post.
- Act 2: an image post. It showed a person crying, as a reply to a post that is no longer available (320 views). Because I cannot see the context, I did not rely on it for any legal element and annexed it only as part of the pattern (Evidence E-2).
- Act 3: a "sociopath" reply. Responding to an account that called me a "psychopath", he answered, in my rendering: "That's why I've already blocked him now, not worth dealing with... But it's a pity about a sociopath like that", with a laughing emoji. I read the opening word as adopting the other account's accusation and adding his own label (Evidence E-3).
How I identified the account
I have no access to account registration data. I identified the holder by comparing the Threads profile photo with a public LinkedIn profile carrying the same name, which lists strategic contracting, Woolworths Supermarkets and the University of Wollongong in New South Wales. The letter invites him to deny in writing that the account is his. That identification is mine and is untested.
Harm I described
Humiliation and distress, interference with my recovery, and damage to my reputation in public and in my professional circle.
Legal basis I relied on
I wrote the letter myself, without a lawyer. It cites the new Criminal Code (Law No. 1 of 2023): Art. 433(2) on written defamation, Art. 434 on slander, Art. 436 on minor insult and Art. 441(1) on the information-technology aggravation. It also cites Law No. 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection (Arts. 65(2) and 67(2)), Law No. 8 of 2016 on Persons with Disabilities (Arts. 5 and 7 on freedom from stigma), and Civil Code Arts. 1365, 1366, 1372 and 1373.
Two choices are worth noting. I did not rely on Art. 27A of the ITE Law, because the letter treats it as no longer a basis for punishment now that the new Criminal Code is in force. I also did not claim that Law No. 8 of 2016 creates a stand-alone offence; I used it as a standard of propriety.
Jurisdiction: Indonesia and Australia
Because he appears to live in Australia, the letter sets out the basis for Indonesian jurisdiction (Art. 4(c) of the Criminal Code, Art. 2(1)(b) of the Personal Data Protection Law) and refers to the Australia-Indonesia extradition treaty of 1992. I said plainly that extradition is a last resort, that its outcome cannot be promised, and that I could not confirm that these offences fall within the treaty's list.
Limits of this record
- This is my account and my legal reading; no court or authority has made a finding.
- The letter acknowledges that its weakest point is whether abuse such as "sociopath" counts as "alleging a matter" under Arts. 433 and 434, and treats Art. 436 as the firmer basis.
- The identity of the account holder rests on my identification.
- The image post is included for context only.
- I am not a lawyer, and this post is not legal advice.
Right of reply and correction
Mr. Kukuh Setiawan is invited to respond, correct, or add context. A substantive reply may be published alongside this article, edited only for privacy, safety and relevance. If reliable evidence shows any statement here is wrong, including the identification of the account, I will correct it and note the change.
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