Indonesian court declares Jokowi ‘violated law’ in banning internet in Papua

An activist holds up a poster during a demonstration to protest the internet blackout in Papua and West Papua, in August 2019. - JP

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): A panel of judges at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) has granted a lawsuit filed by civil society groups against the government’s decision to impose an internet blackout during weeks of protests in Papua and West Papua last year, declaring that such move violated the law.

The petitioners – the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), among other groups -- filed a lawsuit against the President and the Communications and Information Ministry in January.