22 September 2021

Top Indonesian minister Luhut Pandjaitan is on course to go head-to-head in court with two renowned human rights activists, after they alleged the politician to have direct involvement in a lucrative mining business in Papua.

Luhut, who serves as Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment and is widely seen as President Joko Widodo’s closest political advisor, filed a criminal lawsuit and a civil lawsuit for IDR100 billion (US$7 million) — both for defamation — against Lokataru Law and Human Rights Office co-founder Haris Azhar and the head of the Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) Fatia Maulidiyanti.

In a video uploaded to Haris’ YouTube channel on Aug. 20, the two activists discussed a study by numerous environmental and human rights groups that noted a link between heightened military presence around gold mines in Papua’s Intan Jaya regency — resulting in escalating conflict with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) — and that Indonesian military and police generals have stakes in the mining companies.

According to the study, Luhut is also involved as a minority stakeholder in a firm that is involved in the area’s gold mining industry, and this point was the main sell in Haris and Fatia’s discussion in the video.

Luhut has denied the allegations and reported the pair for defamation to the Jakarta Metro Police today, claiming that he resorted to filing the lawsuits after they failed to clarify their statements and offer a public apology.

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Under Indonesia’s controversial Information and Electronic Transactions Act (UU ITE), defamation is punishable by up to four years in prison.