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NGO sues Indonesian government over Ahmadiyah persecution
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Public Order Agnecy (Satpol PP) personnel stay on guard in front of Al-Hidayah mosque on Jl Muchtar Raya in Sawangan, Depok, West Java, on Friday. The Depok administration sealed the mosque, which had been used by congregations of the minority Ahmadiyah faith. (JP/Bagas Rahadian)
H
uman rights organization Yayasan Satu Keadilan (YSK) has filed a citizen lawsuit against the Depok administration in West Java and the central government over the sealing of an Ahmadiyah mosque.
The group filed the lawsuit with the Central Jakarta District Court, accusing the Depok mayor, the head of the Depok Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), the President, the religious affairs minister, the home minister and the Attorney General of denying the rights of Ahmadiyah followers.
Foundation chairman Sugeng Teguh Santoso said the Ahmadis had long experienced discrimination but were afraid to speak out against it. Therefore, they needed another group to defend them, he added.
A citizen lawsuit would allow YSK to sue the government as a private citizen over its failure to protect the Ahmadis. The Ahmadis have the option of filing a class action lawsuit, but they chose not to out of fear of further persecution.
“JAI members are anxious and the discrimination [they have faced] has made them afraid to resist authorities,” Sugeng told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Several chapters of the Legal Aid Institute’s (LBH Masyarakat) will assist YSK with the case.
Legal Aid Center for the Press (LBH Pers) research and network development head Asep Komarudin said the lawsuit had been filed at the Central Jakarta Court because the Depok authorities were not the only defendants.
