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Democracy at stake as critics face civil, criminal lawsuits
Asfinawati, chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), said public officials should be fair game for criticism.
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Haris Azhar, then coordinator for the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), gives a speech during a protest called #MelawanGelap (#FightingDarkness) in front of the State Palace in this file photo. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
C
ivil society organizations (CSO) have expressed their concern about the legal actions taken by two senior Cabinet officials against outspoken government critics, saying they could pose a serious threat to the fate of Indonesian democracy.
While President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second term has already been widely marked by shrinking space for civil liberties, activists said the recent string of civil and criminal lawsuits targeting human rights defenders and antigraft activists was a new low.
Civil and criminal lawsuits
On Sept. 22, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan reported Lokataru Foundation executive director Haris Azhar and Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Fatia Maulidiyanti to the police for their statements in a video featured on Haris’ YouTube Channel.
Luhut, a former Army general, accused the two human rights activists of online defamation by broadcasting the video, in which they discussed allegations that the business interests of several high-ranking officials, including Luhut, had contributed to the increasing military activities in Intan Jaya, Papua. The allegations were based on a report titled "Ekonomi-Politik Penempatan Militer di Papua: Kasus Intan Jaya" (The Political Economy of Military Deployment in Papua: The Intan Jaya Case), which was released by a coalition of CSOs.
He also filed an Rp100 billion (US$7 million) civil lawsuit against the two activists, claiming he would donate the money to Papuans if he won the case.
