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Central Java activist jailed for Facebook post opposing shrimp farming
On Thursday, the Jepara District Court in Central Java declared activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan guilty of spreading hate speech online, sentenced him to seven months in prison and ordered him to pay a Rp 5 million (US$315) fine.
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Environmental activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan greets his supporters from inside a prison transportation van ahead of his verdict hearing at the Jepara District Court in Jepara, Central Java, on April 4, 2024. A panel of judges found him guilty of defamation for a Facebook post pertaining to pollution from shrimp farms in Karimunjawa Islands, Central Java, and sentenced him to seven months in prison and fined him Rp 5 million (US$315) rupiah. (Antara/Aji Styawan)
A
n environmental activist in Central Java’s Karimunjawa Islands has been convicted of hate speech for a Facebook post opposing shrimp farming in the area, a ruling that activists say perpetuates the government’s failure to enforce speech protections for critics.
On Thursday, the Jepara District Court in Central Java declared activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan guilty of spreading hate speech online, sentenced him to seven months in prison and ordered him to pay a Rp 5 million (US$315) fine.
He was found guilty of violating Article 45A of the 2016 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law.
The sentence was lighter than the prosecutors’ demand of 10 months in prison.
In November 2022, Daniel uploaded a video on Facebook showing the condition of Cemara beach in Karimunjawa Islands. The beach was polluted by chemical waste from shrimp farms on the islands.
Replying to a comment on his video, he wrote that residents of the area had otak udang (shrimp brains) for enjoying free shrimp from such farms, which some Karimunjawa residents alleged constituted hate speech.
After hearing the verdict, Daniel’s lawyer, Rapin Mudiarjo, said his client would file an appeal.
