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Civil groups sue government over Papua internet ban
In its defense statement, the ministry said that the decision to limit internet access in Papua and West Papua was made within the existing law and carried out according to principles of good governance.
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Papuan students under the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) rally to commemorate Dec. 1, the day pro-independence activists regard as Papuan independence day, on Dec. 2 in Yogyakarta. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)
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ivil society groups have accused the government of misconduct in its decision to restrict internet access in restive Papua last year as part of efforts to contain the spread of hoaxes, according to a lawsuit filed at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN).
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) is suing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the Communications and Information Ministry over the internet access restriction imposed in Papua and West Papua between August and September last year.
Government officials argued that the move was taken to prevent the spread of hoaxes following incidents of racial abuse suffered by Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java, which had heightened tensions in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces.
In their lawsuit, which was read by presiding judge Nelvy Christin, the plaintiffs asked the court’s panel of justices to declare the defendants’ actions unlawful and to order the government to refrain from imposing similar measures in the future, as well as paying the plaintiff’s fees incurred by the case.
“The government’s policy to extend the internet blackout […] was an act against the law [carried out] by government bodies and/or government officials. The acts of the defendants were flawed in their authority, procedure and substance,” said Nelvy in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The government throttled back internet access in parts of Papua and West Papua on Aug. 19, 2019 between 1 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. local time, shortly after the incident in Surabaya, according to the lawsuit. It went on to impose a full blackout between Aug. 21 and Sept. 4, affecting 29 cities and regencies in Papua and 13 cities and regencies in West Papua.
“As a result of the actions the defendants, journalists in Papua and West Papua could not go about their daily jobs of meeting the public’s right to information because of the lack of or limited internet access,” Nelvy said.
