Image: ADEK BERRY / AFP
The organization said that they would challenge the decision.
19 Juli 2017 16:10
The Law and Human Rights Ministry finally dissolved the legal entity status of group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) today.
The decision has been taken following the study and result showing HTI has deviated from the national ideology Pancasila and NKRI.
With the revocation of HTIs power of attorney (and) legal entity, the organization is now declared as dissolved based on Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 2 Year 2017 Article 80A, said the Director General of Legal Administration of Law and Human Rights Ministry Freddy Harris today.
Freddy also said the organization itself has violated their own internal rules.
Although in [their] internal rules [they] listed Pancasila as their ideology for their groups legal entity, but in fact, a lot of HTIs activities are on the contrary to Pancasila and the Republic of Indonesia, Freddy continued.
Coordinating Minister of Politics, Law, and Security Wiranto later explained three reasons why the government dissolved HTI.
The government assessed HTI did not take positive role in the nations development to help the state reach its purpose.
Their activities were also indicated to contradict the states purpose, principle and characteristic that are based on Pancasila and 1945 Constitutions.
The group's activities have also been assessed as creating collision among people and might threaten publics order and security as well as putting the states integrity in danger.
Based on the reasons above, Wiranto confirmed that the government then decided to take action.
However, Wiranto stated the organizations dissolved after allegedly violating Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 2 Year 2017 are allowed to bring their objection to the court.
HTI strikes back
Meanwhile, the organization said that it would challenge the decision.
"This is a true form of abuse by the government against its own citizens," HTI spokesman Ismail Yusanto told AFP.
Human rights activists are also not in favor of the governments decision, saying the recent regulations on mass organization could stifle a broad range of democratic institutions.
Legal expert Refly Harun said it was the first time in the reform era that the government had disbanded an organization without due process of law.
"The presidential decree is a blank check for the government to disband any group without due process of law," he told AFP.
With reports from Agence France-Presse
