Court upholds ban on “Balibo”

Calling the film “violent” and “sensitive”, the Jakarta State Administrative Court upheld a ban on the Australian feature film Balibo.

A panel of judges ruled that the Film Censorship Board (LSF) had fulfilled the administrative procedures required to ban the controversial film.

The court agreed with the LSF’s argument that the film “can open old wounds”.

Balibo recounts the story of five journalists who were killed during the 1975 invasion of the town of Balibo in East Timor, now independent Timor Leste.

The Indonesian and Australian governments have always maintained that the journalists died in the crossfire between the Indonesian Army and East Timorese Fretilin rebels. Investigations into the case, however, have alleged Indonesian forces were behind the deaths.  

The LSF banned the film on the grounds that it only used Australian and Timor Leste sources, a matter that concerned the Indonesian government. The film tells a story of Timor Leste’s struggle for independence under Indonesia’s New Order regime.

The Indonesian military is especially sensitive to the topic.

The Balibo film could harm the relationship between Indonesia and Australia, LSF legal division head Tedjo Baskoro said.

The Independent Journalists Association (AJI) has contested the ban and said it planned to appeal the decision.