Furthermore, the joint statement, published on Sept 16, desisted from highlighting that the human rights lawyer-cum-activist Koman was named a suspect of hate speech and for the spread of false information in Indonesia, the permanent mission noted in a statement received here, Wednesday.
According to Indonesia's law enforcement, hate speech and false information that Koman had uploaded on her Twitter account had a derogatory effort by enflaming and instigating unrest over racial behavior against some Papuan students in Surabaya City, East Java Province.
"Koman's tweets did not reflect her work as a human rights advocate but a reckless individual act that had incited unrest in the country," the Indonesia's permanent mission in Geneva explained.
In a joint statement, five UN human rights experts called on the Indonesian government to withdraw all charges against Koman.
“We welcome the government’s actions against the racist incident, but we urge it to take immediate steps to protect Veronica Koman from any type of retaliation and intimidation and drop all charges against her, so she can continue to report independently on the human rights situation in the country,” the experts stated.
However, for the permanent mission, the Indonesian government had remained steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the people's rights and respecting equality before the law as well as the legal principle of the presumption of innocence
Hence, the law enforcement, as quoted by the permanent mission, will mete out equal treatment to Koman at par with other suspects in the country.
Apart from settling facts on Koman, the Indonesia's permanent mission also responded to the UN's statement on the Internet restriction in Papua and West Papua on Aug 21.
The Permanent Mission stated that the Indonesian government is authorized to place a temporary restriction on the Internet and communication access for civilians, non-state bodies, and Ombudsman in a bid to restore order and as a precautionary measure against the circulation of fake information online.
"We had lifted the restriction on Sept. 4 when the situation in Papua had returned to normal," the mission stated. Related news: Indonesia pushes for Interpol red alert against Koman
Related news: KMSP confirms two deaths, 27 wounded in recent Papua protests
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Genta Tenri Mawangi
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
