Rights campaigners protest increases in restrictions

Rights campaigners protest increases in restrictions

JAKARTA (JP): Activists of the Legal Aid Institute Foundation
(YLBHI) yesterday took their protest against the recent banning
of art performances and seminars straight to the center of power,
Golkar, the ruling political organization.

The YLBHI lawyers yesterday met with the Golkar faction in the
House of Representatives to vent their anger at what they see as
increasing restriction of the freedom of expression by the
government.

They said the intensity of bans, including against the
appearances of intellectuals and human rights campaigners as well
as the June closure of three news magazines, had gone over the
limit.

"The banning is a show of political repression aimed at
trampling on people's freedom of expression and freedom of
assembly," Hendardi, chief spokesman of YLBHI, told legislators
of the Golkar faction at their office in the DPR building.

The YLBHI has been the victim of some of these restrictions.

Early this month, police broke up a seminar on land conflicts
which the foundation was organizing and which was attended by a
number of respected public figures including DPR members. Police
said the meeting was illegal because it had no official permit.

The foundation, which is insisting that such a permit was not
necessary, is now suing the police for the ban.

The YLBHI activists yesterday submitted a seven-point
statement, criticizing the numerous bannings and demanding that
the Soeharto administration reinstate the freedom of expression
as guaranteed by the constitution.

"If the banning policies continue, we won't hesitate to refer
the matter to the UN's subcommission on human rights. We may also
mobilize support at home to stop such bans," Hendardi said.

The activists produced a long list of seminars, plays and
newspapers that the government has banned this year following
two years of budding political openness.

Playwright and poet Emha Ainun Najib has been banned from
performing his works many times this year. Human rights
campaigner Adnan Buyung Nasution has been repeatedly barred from
addressing seminars.

Seminar

In the latest incident, police in Yogyakarta forcefully
dispersed a Sept. 22 seminar on the new controversial
presidential decree controlling non-governmental organizations.

"In the most bizarre example, authorities in Surabaya rounded
up LBH officials and their clients and marched them to the police
station in the name of a law that doesn't exist," said activist
Luhut Pangaribuan.

Golkar legislators said they sympathize with the activists'
cause but stressed that change should be sought constitutionally.

They called on the activists to keep the banning problem as an
internal issue and not to raise it in any international forum so
as not to taint the nation's image abroad.

"We believe that the government's policy is not really like
what authorities in the field have done so far," said faction
member Syamsul Mu'arif. "Something must be done to rectify it."

Faction member Albert Hasibuan, a lawyer and a member of the
National Commission of Human Rights, said it was regrettable that
the bans occurred when Indonesia was vigorously pursuing
political openness.

"The matter should be properly addressed," said Albert, who is
also the general manager of the Suara Pembaruan daily newspaper.
(pan)