Indonesian court rules Internet shutdowns unlawful

In August and September 2019, the Indonesian government had, on several occasions, slowed down and blocked Internet access, and established Internet restrictions on the West Papua and Papua territories  in an effort to contain civil unrest.

The Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) has now ruled that the 2019 decision of the Indonesian government to block Internet services in Papua and West Papua was ‘unlawful’. The court said that any decision limiting people’s right to information needs to be made in accordance with the law and not merely based on the government’s discretion. The PTUN has ordered the Indonesian government to issue an apology to the public as well.