JAKARTA - The East Jakarta District Court on Jan 8 acquitted human rights activists Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti on all counts of defaming senior Cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan in a YouTube video.

The panel of judges said the comments made by Mr Haris and Ms Fatia on YouTube did not constitute criminal defamation, much to the relief of fellow activists who have long raised alarm about what they describe as an increasing crackdown on rights defenders, particularly against critics of the government.

Prosecutors from the Attorney-General’s Office (AGO) had accused Mr Haris and Ms Fatia of defaming the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister with comments made in the YouTube video about his alleged involvement in extractive mining in the resource-rich but restive region of Papua.

The prosecution had demanded four years in prison for Mr Haris and the removal of his YouTube channel, which hosted discussions between the two activists that prosecutors claimed defamed Mr Luhut.

They had also demanded that the court sentence Ms Fatia to 3½ years in prison.

Neither defendant will appeal, with Mr Haris saying: “Because this is an acquittal, of course I accept the verdict.”

However, the AGO prosecutors said they would consider appealing against the acquittal.

The case came about when Mr Luhut, a former army general, reported the two activists to the police in late 2021.

Mr Luhut said he was offended at being called “lord” and “villain” in the comments.

He also insisted that he did not own any business in Papua, and that he did not play any role in the growing military presence in the province, one of the country’s poorest regions. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK