"Indonesian activist freed in hate speech case after flagging illegal shrimp farms", 23 May 2024

An Indonesian court has overturned the sentence of environmental activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan on widely criticized hate speech charges for highlighting the damaged caused by illegal shrimp farms in a protected marine park.

The May 21 ruling by the Semarang High Court in Central Java province quashes the April 4 sentence handed down by the Jepara District Court that found Daniel’s Facebook post about the environmental degradation of Karimunjawa National Park constituted hate speech and caused public unrest. Daniel was one of the four activists from the environmental movement #SaveKarimunjawa charged under the controversial 2008 law on online speech.

The appeal court judges stated that while Daniel evidently made the statement, he was also proven to be defending the right to a healthy environment, which is enshrined in Indonesia’s Constitution.

Experts had strongly criticized the legal proceedings against the four environmental activists, labeling them as a systematic attempt by the authorities to suppress, scare and stifle dissent using what are known as SLAPP tactics, short for strategic lawsuits against public participation.

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