Tempo.Co, Petir Garda B, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) regrets the forced disruption and attack on participants of the diaspora discussion organized by the Forum Tanah Air (FTA) last Saturday. The discussion took place at the Grand Kemang Hotel, South Jakarta.
"We regret this forced disruption and attack. This is clearly a violation of the right to freedom of speech and expression," said Chairperson of Komnas HAM, Atnike Nova Sigiro in a written statement on Sunday, 29 September 2024.
Komnas HAM also urged the police to take firm action by enforcing the law against the perpetrators. Atnike stated that they also requested similar cases from the past, especially those involving non-state actors, to be seriously investigated. Law enforcement is considered important to prevent similar incidents in the future.
"The state has a responsibility to ensure the protection of everyone's rights to speak, express, and assemble peacefully," said Atnike. Komnas HAM hopes that this incident will be a moment for the government and law enforcement agencies to be more serious in protecting the fundamental rights of citizens.
The camaraderie event held by the Forum Tanah Air (FTA) at the Grand Kemang Hotel, South Jakarta turned chaotic. In a circulating video, a group of people acted anarchically by vandalizing the stage, tearing down backdrops, breaking microphone stands, and threatening the newly arrived participants.
The event was initially designed as a dialogue between Indonesian diaspora abroad and several national figures/activists related to national and state issues. Some invited speakers included constitutional law expert Refly Harun, Marwan Batubara, Said Didu, Din Syamsuddin, Rizal Fadhilah, Soenarko, as well as the Chair and Secretary General of FTA, Tata Kesantra and Ida N. Kusdianti.
When contacted, Din Syamsudin stated that since morning, a group of demonstrators had been speaking from a command vehicle in front of the hotel. "The message they conveyed was not very clear, except for criticizing the invited speakers and defending President Jokowi's regime," he said when contacted.
As the event was about to start, Din said the demonstrators entered the discussion room and vandalized it. According to him, the police seemed silent and allowed the disruption to continue.
Din Syamsuddin views the forced disruption of the diaspora discussion as a reflection of the democracy crimes carried out by the previous ruling regime. He also hoped that the future administration under President Prabowo Subianto would not continue such actions. "They should even correct the bad practices that damage democracy and the national order during the era of President Joko Widodo," he said.
FTA Chair Tata Kesantra, who intentionally came from New York, also regretted this incident. He deemed the incident very embarrassing as the discussion was also watched by Indonesian diaspora in 22 countries through streaming on social media platform YouTube.
Currently, the Metro Jaya Police has arrested 5 perpetrators of the diaspora discussion dissolution. Two of them are charged with Article 170 of the Criminal Code regarding assault, while the roles of the other three are still being investigated.
– Defara Dhanya Paramitha contributed to writing this report.