IDNEWSNOW.COM, Jakarta – The Indonesian government submitted an appeal against the Jakarta Administrative District Court’s (PTUN) decision that found President Jokowi and Communication and Informatics Minister guilty of blocking the internet access in Papua and West Papua provinces in August 2019.
“On June 12, 2020, Defendant I filed an appeal against the Jakarta Administrative Court Decision’s ruling No. 230/G/TF/2019/PTUN-JKT dated June 3, 2020,” wrote the copy of the appeal letter received by Tempo on Friday, June 19.
In this case, the Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate acts as Defendant 1, while President Jokowi acts as Defendant 2. Meanwhile, the plaintiffs are the Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI) and the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet).
AJI Advocacy Coordinator Sasmito Madrim confirmed that his side also received the appeal letter. “Yes, I have (received it),” said Sasmito via short message to Tempo on Friday, June 19.
As widely reported, the government throttled the internet bandwidth in the country’s easternmost provinces due to the unrest in August 2019 following mass demonstrations in the regions.
In early June, the court declared the government guilty of violating the law on emergency conditions. Moreover, there was no initial announcement regarding the dangerous situation. The panel of judges then sentenced Defendant 1 and 2 to paying the court fee of Rp457,000.
Read: AJI: Govt Uses Internet Block to Control Situation
DEWI NURITA
