Govt to Investigate Rizieq Shihab's Allegation on His Travel Ban

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Law and Human Rights Ministry’s director-general of immigration, Ronny F. Sompie, announced that his agency will partner with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to investigate and validate Rizieq Shihab’s alleged boycott. 

“The existence of such a letter is yet confirmed as [the one showed in Rizieq’s video] is visually unclear. The investigation will focus on the validity of such a letter. We surely will establish a joint effort with the foreign affairs ministry,” said Ronny in a press conference at Hotel Shangrila in Jakarta today, Nov. 12. 

Other than the foreign affairs, Ronny hinted on working with the Saudi Arabian embassy in Indonesia. He asserted that the Indonesian government has never intervened with Saudi’s immigration to issue such a ban against Rizieq Shihab.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly previously announced that the Indonesian government never prohibited Rizieq and claimed to be in the dark about several letters on the ban presented by the Muslim cleric in a video posted by FPI’s YouTube channel, Front TV.

Through a video displaying a teleconference at FPI headquarters, November 8, Rizieq Shihab showed two documents that allegedly prohibits him from exiting Saudi Arabia.

Rizieq said the prohibition was due to security reasons as requested by the Indonesian government. He asserted that he never committed either criminal or civil violations. “[The ban] was merely because of security,” he said.

HALIDA BUNGA