Christ Belseran, Kendari, Medan and Melbourne – Waves of solidarity actions for Tempo and press freedom in Indonesia resounded from various quarters, from Kendari to Medan and Melbourne Australia.
The actions were held to oppose the 200 billion rupiah civil lawsuit filed by the Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman against Tempo, which is seen as a form of silencing the media and a threat to democracy.
Kendari: A call of solidarity from Southeast Sulawesi
In Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, the Kendari Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the Southeast Sulawesi Committee for the Safety of Journalists (KKJ), the Southeast Sulawesi Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI) and the Kendari State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Student Press Institute (LPM) demonstrated in front of the Kendari District Court on Thursday November 6.
The action called for solidarity with Tempo and rejected Sulaiman's lawsuit.
AJI Kendari Chairperson Nursadah emphasised that the Minister does not have the right to sue the media directly in a general court because Law Number 40/1999 on the Press regulates a mechanism for resolving reporting disputes through the Press Council.
"The 200 billion rupiah demand against Tempo has no legal basis. A lawsuit like this is a form of abuse of the law to silence the media", he said.
According to Nursadah, Sulaiman's actions are not just a dispute, but a threat to press freedom and the public's right to information. AJI Kendari together with journalist organisations and civil society are demanding that the lawsuit be withdrawn, and that the court respect the authority of the Press Council.
Meanwhile, Kendari District Court public relations head for Industrial Relations (PHI) Daryono expressed moral support for journalists.
"The press must be respected because it works based on facts on the ground. We hope that the South Jakarta District Court can decide this case fairly", he said.
Medan: Journalists and the public unite
A similar action also took place at the zero kilometre point in Medan city, North Sumatra, organised by the North Sumatra KKJ, AJI Medan, IJTI North Sumatra and journalists from various other media, as well as civil society groups that are members of the Kamisan (Thursday) Action.
KKJ North Sumatra Coordinator Aray A. Argus believes that Sulaiman's lawsuit against Tempo is a new style of silencing the press in the era of President Prabowo Subianto's administration.
"The Press Law which is said to guarantee the freedom of journalists is actually being silenced by the state itself", said Argus in a speech.
AJI Medan Chairperson Tonggo Simangunsong believes that the 200 billion rupiah lawsuit is aimed at bankrupting Tempo. "This is a form of weakening the press and democracy. Tempo works for the public, not for power", he asserted.
According to Simangunsong, the lawsuit could set a dangerous precedent that could return the country to the practice of silencing the media as it did during the New Order era of former president Suharto.
"If Tempo can be sued, then other media can suffer the same fate. The public must stand with the press", he said.
Melbourne: Solidarity from the Indonesian diaspora
The wave of solidarity also echoed abroad. In Melbourne, Australia, members of the Indonesian diaspora held a simultaneous action on Thursday November 6 expressing their full support for Tempo and rejecting the practice of silencing critical media.
The Melbourne Bergerak (Melbourne Moving) community condemned Sulaiman's move to take Tempo to court.
"Under the Prabowo regime, a new style of muzzling is taking place. Tempo is a symbol of resistance against efforts to silence the truth", said a representative of Melbourne Bergerak.
They believe that Sulaiman's lawsuit is not just a legal effort, but also a political message to frighten media that is critical of the government.
"We stand with Tempo. Independent media must not submit to powers that want to silence the people's voices", they asserted.
Background to Tempo lawsuit
The dispute between Tempo and Agricultural Minister Amran Sulaiman began with a Tempo.co report entitled "Polishing Rotten Rice" (May 16, 2025), which criticised the State Logistic Agency's (Bulog) grain absorption policy.
Sulaiman considered the report to be defamatory and sued Tempo for a fantastic sum of 200 billion rupiah at the South Jakarta District Court.
Yet the Press Council has processed the dispute and issued Statement of Assessment and Recommendation (PPR) Number 3/PPR-DP/VI/2025, which states that Tempo only needs to correct the title page and apologise.
Tempo complied with the recommendations within 2x24 hours. Sulaiman however still filed a civil lawsuit which has now sparked a widespread wave of resistance throughout Indonesia and the world.
National solidarity and a joint call
AJI, the IJTI, the KKJ and the Indonesian Cyber Media Association (AMSI) from regions around the country have called for:
1. The court to respect Law Number 40/1999 on the Press and reject the lawsuit against Tempo.
2. For the government to guarantee legal protection for journalists and the media.
3. For public officials stop the practice of silencing the press under legal pretexts.
An attack on one media means a threat to all journalists and the future of democracy in Indonesia.
"Today Tempo is being sued. Tomorrow it could be anyone. So we have to fight back – because without a free press, there is no viable democracy."
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Gelombang Solidaritas untuk Tempo: Dari Kendari, Medan hingga Melbourne, Seruan Melawan Pembungkaman Pers".]