Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – Indonesia's Civil Society Coalition held a demonstration in front of the South Jakarta District Court today to support Tempo in the lawsuit filed by Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman over the motion graphic in Tempo's daily edition of May 16, 2025, titled 'Poles-Poles Beras Busuk' (Polishing Rotten Rice).
The demonstration was attended by the Independent Journalist Alliance (Aliansi Jurnalis Independen) or AJI Indonesia, AJI Jakarta, the Indonesian Journalist Safety Committee (Komite Keselamatan Jurnalis Indonesia), Amnesty International, and several Tempo journalists.
They carried posters with inscriptions such as 'FIGHT AGAINST THE NEW STYLE OF SUPPRESSION', 'AN AUTHORITARIAN REGIME FEARFUL OF CRITICAL MEDIA', 'MINISTER AMRAN SULAIMAN HAS NO RIGHT TO SUE TEMPO', and 'PRESS IS NOT THE GOVERNMENT'S PUBLIC RELATIONS'.
"We want to convey that the lawsuit filed by Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman has violated the authority of the Press Council," said the Coordinator of the Indonesian Journalist Safety Committee, Erick Tanjung, during his speech in front of the South Jakarta District Court on Monday, November 3, 2025.
He stated that any disputes related to news coverage must go through the Press Council, as regulated in Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press. "Therefore, when Amran Sulaiman as a state official, as the Minister of Agriculture files a lawsuit against Tempo, he has violated the authority of the Press Council," said Erick. "That is a form of violation of the law!"
The Chairperson of AJI Indonesia, Nany Afrida, also delivered a speech during the demonstration in front of the South Jakarta District Court. Similarly to Erick, she also mentioned that the authority to resolve news disputes lies with the Press Council. "We want to inform the South Jakarta District Court that Tempo's case cannot be resolved through the court," exclaimed Nany.
She mentioned that suing the media in court is a misguided and unjustifiable approach. According to Nany, the media is a watchdog. "If you cannot handle criticism, please step down!" Nany said.