Coordinating Minister Yusril states government not involved in reporting of several activists

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Services Yusril Ihza Mahendra has emphasised that the government has no involvement in various legal reports against several activists and academics deemed to have criticised policies. Speaking at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Monday, Yusril stated that every citizen or community organisation has the same constitutional right to report others to the authorities if they believe legal provisions have been violated. “Yes, the reporters are not the government. It’s the public or organisations, right? Fundamentally, the government cannot prohibit it, because it’s everyone’s right to report others,” said Yusril. He likened this to the government’s position when facing lawsuits in court, where it has no choice but to proceed with the legal process procedurally. Yusril also explained the police mechanism in responding to reports from the public. According to him, law enforcement officials have an obligation to follow up on every public report to avoid future legal demands. “If there’s a report, the police have no choice but to follow it up. If they don’t, they’ll face pre-trial lawsuits,” he said. Yusril added that the President has repeatedly stressed the importance of space for academics and the public to voice criticism. Such criticism and opinions, he said, have not been questioned by the government at all so far. “But if the reporters are the public themselves or organisations in society, well, the government never instructs them to report. So the process is normal,” said Yusril.