• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
  • WORLD DEMOCRACY
  • POLITICAL ART
  • more
    • election technology
    • money politics
    • political dissidents
    • THIRD PARTY
      • third party central
      • green party
      • justice party
      • libertarian party
    • voting methods
  • DC INFO
    • author central
    • about
    • advertise with DC
    • contact
    • privacy policy

Democracy Chronicles

Critics of Indonesian President Face Treason Charges

by DC Editors - May 15, 2019

FacebookTweetLinkedInPin

Critics of Indonesian President Face Treason Charges

From Voice Of America

The lead-up to the May 22 official announcement of the results of the Indonesian presidential and legislative elections has been colored by disbelief, attempts at de-legitimization and denials of loss.

Now two critics of incumbent President Joko Widodo are being charged with treason.

On Friday, Indonesia’s National Police Criminal Investigation Department released a letter barring former military officer Kivlan Zen from travelling overseas for six months.

“[Kivlan] has allegedly committed the criminal act of spreading hoaxes or treason,” wrote the department’s vice deputy director Agus Nugroho in the letter obtained by VOA. Kivlan will face interrogation on Monday, according to the department.

“Our client has never committed treason,” Pitra Romadoni Nasution, one of Kivlan’s attorneys, said Saturday. Pitra said Kivlan was handed the letter at the Jakarta airport as he was leaving for the Indonesian city of Batam.

But Sam Fernando of the Immigration Directorate General said Kivlan’s travel ban was revoked on Saturday. “For the reasons why it was revoked, you can ask the investigators,” Sam told VOA.

No specific act was noted in the letter, but the travel ban followed a mass demonstration Thursday that Kivlan, a noted critic of Joko and an ardent supporter of his opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, had initiated in front of Indonesia’s Elections Supervisory Agency. The demonstration called for the disqualification of Joko and his running mate, cleric Ma’ruf Amin, because of a number of violations.

Shortly after the election Indonesia media reported “credible” pollsters say Joko won by a wide margin.

Also named as a treason suspect last week was law practitioner Eggi Sudjana, another protest leader, who called for a “people power” movement to monitor and ensure the win for Prabowo during a speech last month to a crowd in front of Prabowo’s residence

“This may be God’s way to speed up Prabowo’s inauguration,” he said. Eggi has denied that calling for the “people power” movement is grounds for a treasonous action.

Ace Hasan Syadzily, spokesman for Joko’s campaign, said the unwillingness to concede is a part of an attempt to de-legitimize the elections. “The structural, systematic and massive violations were in fact committed by them because they spread hoaxes against Jokowi,” he said in a written statement, referring to Joko’s nickname.

Prabowo Subianto has refused to concede. He said on election day he had won the presidency with 62 percent of the votes. In the 2014 presidential election that was also contested by Joko and Prabowo, the latter accused the former’s camp with a series of words that have picked up some degree of social notoriety: the aforementioned “Structural, systematic, massive” violations.

“For the good of democracy, I want to be a good sport, though this time the violations are too much,” he told reporters last month.

Law against treason

Arsil, a researcher at the Institute for Research and Advocacy for Independent Courts, told VOA the meaning of treason has been commonly misunderstood. In Kivlan’s case, he thinks the case of treason is too far off from the law. “If, however, he is found to incite violent demonstrations that would result in the toppling of the government, it may be considered treasonous,” he said.

Historically, treason charges have been used against supposed separatist groups. In 2015, members of the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist movement went to prison on treason charges for raising their flag. “The treason itself doesn’t have to be over or succeed. It can be a proven intention, as well,” Arsil said.

He added treason charges can also been seen as a political tool. “It can be interpreted that way, three years ago, there were arrests of several opposition figures to Jokowi …” Arsil was referring to 10 people who were thought to have incited attempts at a coup.

There have been many attempts at a coup in Indonesian history, the most notable of which was the September 1965 killing of military generals that led to an unresolved genocide of communists or anyone with ties to Indonesia’s Communist Party.

It was believed the events led Indonesia’s authoritarian second president, Suharto, to take the presidency from President Sukarno.

FacebookTweetLinkedInPin

Filed Under: International Democracy Tagged With: Asia, Indonesia, Journalism and Free Speech, Political Dissidents

About DC Editors

We are your source for news on the all important effort to establish and strengthen democracy across the globe. Our international team with dozens of independent authors are your gateway into the raging struggle for free and fair elections on every continent with a focus on election reform in the United States. See our Facebook Page and also follow us on Twitter @demchron.

Some highlighted Democracy Chronicles topics

Africa American Corruption American Local Elections American State Elections Asia Capitalism and Big Business Celebrity Politics China Democracy Charity Democracy Protests Democrats Dictatorships Education Election History Election Methods Election Security Election Transparency Europe Internet and Democracy Journalism and Free Speech Middle East Minority Voting Rights Money Politics New York City and State Elections Political Artwork Political Dissidents Political Lobbying Redistricting Republicans Russia Socialism and Labor Social Media and Democracy South America Spying and Privacy Supreme Court Third Party Voter Access Voter ID Voter Registration Voter Suppression Voter Turnout Voting Technology Women Voting Rights Worldwide Worldwide Corruption

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Home | ALL NEWS | WORLD | Critics of Indonesian President Face Treason Charges

Primary Sidebar

Advertise button

The Christian Evangelical Church

By Jack Jones January 22, 2023

I am not against Big Business having a voice, just not all the voices, and especially not an impersonator pretending to speak for God.

No One In Monterey County Is Good Enough To Serve In Legislature

By Joe Mathews January 9, 2023

California’s “democratic reforms” have left a place as… [key] as Monterey County without any state representation from one of its own.

democracy chronicles newsletter

DC AUTHORS

In America, the Joe-mocracy Rules

By Joe Mathews December 27, 2022

A republic? A democracy? No, our country is an avuncular autocracy run by old guys named joe.

Property Rights, Indiana-Style

By Andrew Straw December 24, 2022

Indiana’s justices have replaced constitutional property rights with ad hominem politics. Replacing them starts with better governors.

To The American Oligarchs: Lay Off Us

By Jack Jones December 21, 2022

No matter how many jobs are ruthlessly pulled out from under us, we are still going to do what it takes to put food on the table.

Indiana’s Irrational Ballot Access System

By Andrew Straw December 4, 2022

Opposing the potential 2024 retention of the Chief Justice Loretta Rush will be key to preventing disability discrimination bad blood in Indiana courts.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden’s Loan Forgiveness program

By Jack Jones November 24, 2022

What is unlawful is the Texas federal judge’s decision to strike down President Biden’s loan forgiveness program, not the program itself.

DeSantis Battles Trump in Florida Steel Cage Match

By Steve Schneider November 20, 2022

We take you now to the much-anticipated DeSantis-Trump steel cage match, in which “DeSanctimonious” has promised to “kick Trump’s ass.”

Why Gambling Can’t Really Lose In California

By Joe Mathews November 2, 2022

When state voters approved an expansion of casino gaming, gaming interests assured us that gambling here would be governed by strict limits.

MORE FROM OUR AUTHORS

VISIT OUR POLITICAL ART SECTION:

dc political art

DEMOCRACY CULTURE

Girl Scouts Earn Democracy Badge At Workshop In Salina

Girl Scouts Earn Democracy Badge At Workshop In Salina

January 26, 2023

The workshop assisted Girl Scouts in grades K–10 in earning their Democracy Badge through learning activities on democracy.

Study: Media Can Reduce Polarization By Telling Personal Stories

Study: Media Can Reduce Polarization By Telling Personal Stories

January 26, 2023

Sharing personal experiences and pairing them with facts reduces political dehumanization and increases political tolerance.

Study: 2020 Election Resulted In Increased Anxiety And Depression

Study: 2020 Election Resulted In Increased Anxiety And Depression

January 7, 2023

A review of 2020 Household Pulse Survey data reveals that as an election nears, people in [America] report more depression and anxiety.

Key Iran Labor Sectors Launch Major Strikes

Charlie Hebdo Caricatures Iran’s Mullahs

January 7, 2023

The satirical weekly is publishing a special issue on Wednesday, January 4, mocking Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in support of the protests…

First Impressions Are Strongly Influenced By Political Partisanship

First Impressions Are Strongly Influenced By Political Partisanship

December 22, 2022

How we perceive strangers or the impressions we have about them, particularly their faces, is influenced by political partisanship.

MORE CULTURE

VISIT OUR US DEMOCRACY SECTION:

American Democracy