Jakarta. The police say Rizieq Shihab, the leader of the Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, is not being treated as a criminal, but is involved in a series of legal cases, a spokesman said on Thursday (02/02).

"Opinions emerge that there has been criminalization [of Rizieq]. This should be straightened out. There is no criminalization, this is purely a legal process," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said.

He said that criminalization occurs when a person is treated as a criminal without a conviction, while Rizieq has been facing police investigations due to reports filed against him by other parties.

"Our state is based on law. Therefore, legal mechanisms should be applied to resolve all kinds of disputes," Boy said.

He added that if someone does not want to face law enforcement, he or she should obey the law.

Rizieq is currently facing several lawsuits and has been named a suspect for insulting Pancasila – the official state ideology.

He has been investigated for being involved in an alleged plot against the government and is accused of illegally occupying a state-owned land in Megamendung, Bogor, West Java.