Indonesia’s Parliament Proposes Ban on Investigative Journalism, LGBTQ Content

Indonesia’s Parliament has proposed changes to its broadcast law to ban LGBTQ content a move that sparked criticism from filmmakers and society groups over curtailing press freedom and expression. The latest revisions have sparked concern with Indonesia’s press council asserting that it’s likely to undermine press freedom.

According to Arif Zulkifli, “The impact on press freedom is very serious. Indonesia’s press law says there must not be any censorship or banning of journalism. So this is contradictory.”While speaking to Reuters, Minister Budi Arie Setiadi shared that the government has not yet received the draft bill adding that the revisions must not interfere with media freedom.

These planned curbs on journalism will harm freedom of expression since Indonesia emerged from several years of authoritarian rule.

 The bill however did not shed light on the ban on investigative journalism or how it’s going to work leaving journalist groups concerned about its censorship.

Homosexuality is a taboo subject in Indonesia, a populous Muslim-majority nation. It’s illegal in the Sharia-ruled Aceh province.

The changes will also apply to content broadcast in Indonesia in addition to online streaming groups. The Parliament of Indonesia has deliberated a series of legal revisions in the recent past. This includes changes made to the constitutional court law giving the government more power to remove sitting judges.