TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Communication and Informatics Johnny G. Plate has spoken up about the Jakarta Administrative Court’s (PTUN) ruling that he and President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo are stated to be guilty of throttling the internet in Papua and West Papua.

Johnny claimed he has not read the verdict. “It’s not right to consider the plaintiff’s request as the court’s decision. Of course, we only refer to the court’s decision, which is reportedly not fully in line with the plaintiff’s claim,” Johnny told Tempo on Wednesday, June 3.

He added that his side respects the court’s verdict, but also backs up legal rights as defendants. “We will contact the State Attorney to determine next legal steps,” Johnny said.

As of date, Johnny claimed he has not found any documents regarding the decision issued by the government on the internet blackout or access restriction in the country’s easternmost provinces, as well as information about meetings in his ministry related to the matter.

“There could be damage to the telecommunication infrastructure that badly affected the internet access in the regions,” said Johnny.

Today, June 3, the panel of judges found President Jokowi and Minister Johnny violated the law for throttling the internet in Papua and West Papua in August 2019 due to unrest following mass demonstrations in the regions.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiff asked them to publish an official apology in printed media, television stations, and radio broadcasts.

CAESAR AKBAR