INDONESIA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Indonesia is a multiparty ...

INDONESIA 13
The constitution and the law provide for freedom of speech and freedom of the
press; however, the government and private actors at times restricted these rights in
practice. Politicians and powerful businessmen filed criminal or civil complaints
against journalists whose articles they found insulting or offensive; some
journalists faced threats of violence.
Freedom of Speech: Individuals and organizations have the right to criticize the
government publicly and privately and could discuss almost all matters of public
interest without reprisal. The law criminalizes content that advocates separatism.
Some NGOs and other organizations reported government monitoring of their
organizations, and a number of laws limited the rights of individuals to engage in
speech deemed to be pro-separatist.
Freedom of Press: The independent media were active and expressed a wide
variety of views. However, regional- and national-level regulations were at times
used to restrict the media. For example, the government continued to restrict
foreign media, NGOs, and government personnel from traveling to the provinces
of Papua and West Papua by requiring them to request permission to travel through
the Foreign Ministry or an Indonesian embassy. The government approved some
requests and denied others ostensibly for reasons regarding the safety of foreign
visitors.
Inconsistent application of national broadcasting laws restricted the ability of some
specifically targeted radio stations to broadcast. For example, local and national
officials targeted Radio Erabaru, a Chinese-language, Falun Gong-affiliated radio
station. On September 6, Radio Erabaru Director Gatot Machali, was convicted of
broadcasting without a license and sentenced to six months in prison, one year’s
probation, and fined 50 million rupiah (approximately $5,800). At year’s end,
Machali was appealing the decision. Although the case was under appeal, on
September 11, police and frequency monitoring officials forcibly closed Radio
Erabaru and confiscated the station’s broadcasting equipment.
Violence and Harassment: The Indonesian Press Legal Aid Institute (LBH Pers)
reported that during the year, there were at least 96 cases of media intimidation.
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) reported 49 cases of intimidation
against journalists during the year down from 51 cases in 2010.
For example, on March 3, two unidentified men stabbed journalist Banjir Ambarita
in the chest and abdomen in Jayapura, Papua. Ambarita had written two articles
linking police to sex abuse scandals (see section 1.c.).
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor