Jakartans' legal awareness improves: LBH<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta legal aid foundation (LBH Jakarta)
\nchief Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan said yesterday that the legal
\nawareness of Jakartans is improving.<\/p>\n
\"Despite some limitations in freedom of speech and freedom to
\nassemble, we found that the people's legal awareness has improved
\nsignificantly,\" Luhut said in the foundation's year-end press
\nconference.<\/p>\n
He said that such improvement was attributable to the number of
\ncases brought to the foundation regarding freedom of speech and
\nfreedom to assemble. Luhut said that the number of cases handled by
\nthe foundation this year involved 19 of its lawyers.<\/p>\n
\"This year we handled 1,208 cases, up from only 881 last year,\"
\nhe said<\/p>\n
Citing the arrest of some demonstrators who protested the banning
\nof three weekly publications in June and 21 students who were
\nstaging a protest in the House of Representatives (DPR) last year,
\nLuhut said that their actions were misjudged by the government.
\n\"They merely used their constitutional rights,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Luhut said that the government tends to judge labor activists as
\ncriminals. As a result, when a company's management reports a strike
\nto the police, the police then investigate the case with workers
\nsuspected of being criminals.<\/p>\n
\"Labor cases should be settled under the Civil Code, which
\nregulates the relationship of employers and their workers, not with
\nthe Criminal Code,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He warned that the government's application of the same code on
\noutspoken critics could create new problems. The people will try to
\nfind other bodies to complain to such as the House.<\/p>\n
During the press conference Luhut also criticized the extensive
\nuse of Article 510 of the Criminal Code, which rules that a person
\nwill be punished if he or she arranges a party, a gathering or a
\nparade without the approval of the authorities.<\/p>\n
The article is limiting people's freedom to expression and
\nassembly, both of which are guaranteed in the 1945 Constitution, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"This year there were at least two seminars which were banned
\nunder the article,\" Luhut said.<\/p>\n
The first banning was imposed on a seminar held in September by
\nthe Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation about land ownership.<\/p>\n
The second occurred six days ago when the Indonesian Anti-Nuclear
\nSociety and Indonesian Forum for Environment held a seminar
\nregarding nuclear power in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Another abuse of police authority, which was noted by Luhut this
\nyear, has been the killing of suspected criminals by sharpshooters.<\/p>\n
\"According to the foundation, there were at least 50 people shot
\nto death this year, most in the middle of the night,\" Luhut said,
\nadding that the shootings were an abuse of legal procedure and
\ncivilized legal culture.<\/p>\n
At the end of the press conference, Luhut predicted that the
\npeople's legal awareness would continue to improve, especially after
\nIndonesia is involved in some international agreements, such as the
\nAsia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. (mas)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jakartans-legal-awareness-improves-lbh-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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