Internet shut-downs in Papua
An Internet shut-down in Papua, Indonesia, started mid-August after several demonstrations broke out in Sorong and Fakfak, West Papua.
Internet access was slowly restored in Papua starting on 5 September. Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology said that the decision to ‘temporarily block’ Internet communications was done ‘to accelerate the process of restoring the security and order situation in Papua and the surrounding areas’ and that the order would stand ‘until the situation in Papua returned to being conducive and normal’, according to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology’s official website.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that she was ‘disturbed’ by the violence unfolding in Papua. She encouraged the authorities to engage in dialogue with the people of Papua, as well as to restore Internet services.