Legal Literacy - Learn what the retroactive principle is, how the retroactive principle applies, and how the regulations regarding the retroactive principle are extensively covered in Indonesian national law and international law. Read the following article to understand all of the above questions.

Definition of the Retroactive Principle

Literally, the retroactive principle is defined as a legal principle that changes the legal consequences of actions taken or the legal status of facts and relationships that existed before a law was enacted or promulgated.

In Latin, the retroactive principle is called ex post facto, which means "from something done afterward." Black's Law Dictionary defines retroactive as extending in scope or effect to matters that have occurred in the past. Furthermore, Black's Law Dictionary adds law “that looks backward or contemplates the past, affecting acts or facts that existed before the act came into effect.” While Congress often considers legislation that would apply retroactively, the Constitution imposes some limited constraints on such laws. Meanwhile, according to Merriam-webster Dictionary, retroactive is defined as extending in scope or effect to a prior time or to conditions that existed or originated in the past.

The same understanding regarding the retroactive principle can also be seen in the Cambridge Dictionary that…