Punished Twice: Ne Bis in Idem between Dayak Kenyah Customary Sanctions and State Penal Liability

Indonesia’s Criminal Code (Law Number 1 of 2023), effective since January 2026, recognises living law as a basis for criminal liability. However, this recognition does not automatically protect individuals from state prosecution after completing customary sanctions for conduct also criminalised by the Code. This article examines this problem through a documentary analysis of Dayak Kenyah customary justice in North Kalimantan. It employs doctrinal research combining statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches, drawing on the United States dual sovereignty doctrine and Sarawak’s Native Courts. The analysis identifies a structural paradox: Article 2’s residual recognition of customary offences leaves sanctions for overlapping statutory offences without automatic ne bis in idem protection. It proposes a graduated interlock model under which completed customary sanctions would bar prosecution for minor and complaint-based offences and require sentencing credit for serious offences. Recognition would depend on identity of act and offender, functional equivalence of sanctions, completion, and compatibility with human rights. The model provides a framework for coordinating customary and state justice through prosecutorial and sentencing guidelines, protecting against double punishment while preserving accountability for serious offences.