DOWNLOAD A PDF OF UA 47/21 HERE
Soon Tabuni, a Papuan farmer, has been sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and a fine of IDR 1 billion (approximately USD 68,828) for a Facebook post. Court proceedings have been incredibly slow, with restricted access to his lawyer and family. He has been detained for 332 days in the Mobile Brigade Command Prison and there are concerns for his health and wellbeing due to poor prison facilities. When he was arrested on 27 May 2020, he was shot three times in the leg by a plain clothes police officer. Soon Tabuni has been charged under the Electronic Information and Transactions Act (ITE Law) and Amnesty International is concerned that these criminal proceedings threaten the right to freedom of expression in Indonesia.
Please ask the President to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Soon Tabuni as he is detained solely for peacefully exercising his human rights;
- Drop the charges against him; and
- Pending his release, ensure that he is protected from torture and other ill-treatment and have regular access to their family members, access to medical care, and lawyers of his choice.
Write to:
Ir. H. Joko Widodo
President Republic of Indonesia
State Secretariat
Jl. Veteran No. 17-18
Kota Jakarta Pusat, DKI Jakarta
Indonesia 10110
Salutation: Dear President Widodo
Please copy:
Mr. Yulastiawarman Zakaria
Chargé d’affaires, Embassy of Indonesia
55 Parkdale Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 1E5
Fax: 613 724 1105 or 613 724 4959
Phone: 613 724 1100
Email: publicaffairs@indonesia-ottawa.org
Additional Information
Soon Tabuni was arrested after he made a Facebook post on 25 May 2020 stating “The shooting of 2 school children at mile 34, Kalibiru, Timika and 2 medical personnel at Intan Jaya, the actor is the Papua Police Chief Paulus Waterpauw”.
He was arrested two days later, on 27 May, by plain clothed officers from the Mimika Police without an arrest warrant. During the arrest, Soon was shot three times in the leg causing him to be taken to the hospital for treatment as an outpatient.
Soon Tabuni was later detained at the Mobile Brigade Command prison in Mimika Regency where he remained until today. He has been accused of violating the Article 45A paragraph (2) jo. Article 28 paragraph (2) Law No. 19 of 2016 on the Amendment to Law No. 11 of 2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.
Court proceedings have been incredibly slow, with Soon having been detained for 332 days. Soon’s lawyers have only been able to see him after lodging multiple complaints. All legal meetings have with a strict time limit and have been closely monitored.
The prosecutors read their indictment on Thursday, 15 April 2021, with demands for his imprisonment of 1 year 6 months, a fine of IDR 1 billion, a subsidiary of 6 months imprisonment. On 23 April 2021, the Timika District court sentenced him to 6 months imprisonment and a fine of IDR 1 billion.
The poor conditions of the detention facilities, namely bad air circulation and poor water quality, has had a negative impact on Soon’s physical and mental wellbeing. His family are only able to visit him once a week, raising fears for his deteriorating health. Responding to why Soon was being held at the Mobile Brigade Command prison, which is not standard procedure, officers stated that it was due to “orders from superiors”.
The President of the Republic of Indonesia has expressed his concern on the ITE law as it may not be consistent with the public sense of justice. The President has ordered the Chief of Police and all Police personnel to be more selective in responding to and accepting reports that use the ITE Law as a legal reference[1].
The Indonesian authorities have used the ITE Law to prosecute hundreds of peaceful activists, media officers and human right defenders who criticize the government. The ITE Law, contains vague language which has been misused by the government to criminalize the rights to freedom of expression, thought, conscience and religion in Indonesia. The criminal defamation and “incitement” provisions under ITE Law have been used to criminalize freedom of expression. These include Article 27(3), which criminalizes “the conduct of anyone who intentionally and without right distributes and/or transmits and/or makes accessible electronic information and/or electronic documents that contains insults and/or defamation”. Article 28(2) of the ITE Law also criminalizes “the dissemination of information that incites hate or enmity among certain individuals and/or groups based on ethnicity, religion, race or intergroup relation”.
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If you want Updates on this case, send your request to urgentaction@amnesty.ca with “Keep me updated on Soon Tabuni” in the subject line.
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