"Two activists cleared of defaming Luhut", 8 January 2024

The East Jakarta District Court acquitted on Monday human rights activists Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti on all counts of defaming senior cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan in a YouTube video.

The panel of judges said the comments made by Haris and Fatia on YouTube did not constitute criminal defamation, much to the relief of fellow activists who have long raised alarm about what they describe as an increasing crackdown on rights defenders, particularly against critics of the government.

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The case started when Luhut, a former Army general, reported the two activists to the police in late 2021. Luhut said he was offended at being called “lord” and “villain” in the comments. He also insisted that he did not own any business in resource-rich Papua, and that he did not play any role in the growing military presence in the province, one of the country's poorest regions.