Komnas HAM Deplores Detikcom's Deletion of Opinion Piece as Author Claims Intimidation

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) regrets the removal of an opinion titled "Jenderal di Jabatan Sipil: Di Mana Merit ASN?" (Military Generals in Civil Service: Where is the Merit of Civil Servants?) on Detikcom. The article was published on Thursday morning, May 22, 2025.

"Komnas HAM regrets the takedown of an article on a media platform because the author experienced intimidation," said the Chairperson of Komnas HAM, Anis Hidayah, when contacted by Tempo on Sunday, May 25, 2025.

Anis stated that every citizen has the right to express their opinions in any form, including writing. According to him, this is a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution.

Regarding this incident, Anis reminded that the state certainly has an obligation to fulfill this right. In addition, she requested the state to respect and protect the public in expressing their opinions. "We hope that cases like this will not be repeated in the future in a similar form," she said.

Meanwhile, Detikcom's editorial team removed the opinion article with the reason to protect the safety of the author, YF, who claimed to have been intimidated after the publication of the article. "The editorial team removed this opinion article at the request of the author, not based on the recommendation of the Press Council. Regarding the safety reasons, it is based on the author's testimony," the article quoted on Friday, May 23, 2025.

Based on the information obtained by Tempo, the author was grazed by two suspicious motorcyclists on Thursday, after the article was published. The first incident occurred after the author dropped off their child at school. They were grazed and pushed to the ground by two individuals wearing full-face helmets. In the afternoon, a similar incident occurred with different individuals and motorcycles, causing them to fall again.

Feeling afraid and threatened, the author of the article requested its deletion. However, the request was rejected by Detikcom's editorial team because the procedure for removing opinion articles requires a recommendation from the Press Council. The author then went to the Press Council's office, but until now, there has been no official letter or recommendation issued by the Press Council.

On the other hand, the Civil Society Coalition stated that this case is not the first to occur against critics of the dual function of the Indonesian National Army or TNI. "In the last two months, we have noted several incidents of terror, including surveillance, intimidation, as well as physical and digital attacks on academics, activists, journalists, and civilians who express critical views on the involvement of the TNI in civil affairs," wrote the coalition in an official statement on Saturday, May 24, 2025.

The coalition detailed five other incidents that occurred prior to the deletion of the article on Detikcom. First, the terror of pig heads and rat carcasses at the Tempo editorial office. Second, physical threats and criminalization attempts against two human rights defenders, Andri Yunus and Javier, who interrupted a closed meeting of the DPR at the Fairmont Hotel.

Third, the terror of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence office after exposing a closed meeting of the DPR regarding the revision of the TNI Law. Fourth, surveillance of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence office after the approval of the TNI Law. Fifth, intimidation of students from the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) who filed a judicial review of the TNI Law at the Constitutional Court.

The coalition stated that this series of terror is related to the critical stance of the public towards government policies that are seen to reintroduce the practice of the military's dual function. These policies include the revision of the TNI Law, Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2025 concerning the involvement of the TNI in the Prosecutor's Office, and the placement of active officers in civilian positions. "Criticism of policies is not a threat," they said.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian contributed to this article.

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