Disbandment of 1965 Tragedy Seminar Violates Free Speech
18 September 2017 07:42 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The disbandment of a seminar on 1965 tragedy held by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) is seen as a violation of free speech. Jakarta Legal Aid Institute director Alghifari Aqsa said that his organization is considering filing a civil lawsuit against the police. “To prevent this from happening again,” he told Tempo yesterday.
The YLBHI had planned to host a seminar on the history of 65/66 tragedy at LBH Jakarta building on Saturday afternoon but the police had formed a blockade in front of the building in the morning. Seminar participants, comprised mostly of the 65 tragedy survivors and LBH officials, were not allowed to enter the building.
Tensions rose as two mass organizations staged a protest against LBH Jakarta amid police repression. Dozens of people who claimed to be members of the Laskar Merah Putih (Red and White Army) and the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) demanded that the event be disbanded, making an accusation that the discussion was held to spread communism. The police insisted on entering the building and took down banners in it on the afternoon, forcing the organizers to suspend the seminar.
Read: LBH Jakarta Building Attacked by Anti-Communist Protesters
The YLBHI said that the police have violated Article 28E (3) of the 1945 Constitution on freedom of assembly and freedom of speech and Law No. 9/1998 on Freedom of Expression in Public. Alghifari said that the police have no reason to disband the discussion because the LBH had earlier secured a permit from the National Police and had allowed cops to attend the event.
YLBHI chairwoman Asfianwati said that the incident on Saturday indicates deterioration in the quality of Indonesia’s democracy. “We are heading to a mobocracy. The state is no longer based on written laws and yields to certain individuals who could mobilize people by offering a lot of money,” she said.
The YLBHI and other non-governmental organization have condemned the police repression. They said that this year has seen 19 cases of intimidation and disbandment of discussion by the police, 12 of which were discussions on the 1965-1966 killings.
Jakarta Metro Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said that the seminar at the LBH building was banned due to the lack of a permit, adding the organizers did not notify the police over their plan.
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