Minister of Human Rights Says Sterilization of HI Roundabout from Demo does not Limit the Right to Express Opinions

JAKARTA - Human Rights Minister (HAM) Natalius Pigai said that the security forces' move to sterilize the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (HI) from the student demonstration last week did not limit the public's right to express their opinions.

"There is no (restriction of rights), it is called regulation. 'Eh, you don't have to demo at Bundaran HI, but you demo at Lapangan Banteng.' According to the rules, it is allowed. Regulation," said Pigai as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, June 17.

According to Pigai, the government can regulate the course of the demonstration. "If the main highway protocol is not allowed, then access is provided to deliver opinions elsewhere. It can. It's also called regulation," he said.

He also said that such arrangements were in line with the Siracusa principle, which is an international guideline on restrictions or derogations from the implementation of human rights contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

It is known that the mass action protest from a number of universities in Jakarta was prevented from entering the HI roundabout area, Central Jakarta, because it was blocked on Jalan M.H. Thamrin by the officers on duty.

ANTARA reported on site on Friday (12/6), hundreds of students wearing the alma mater of a number of universities walked (long march) from the Semanggi area to HI Circle.

They arrived on Jalan M.H. Thamrin around 14.30 WIB carrying a number of demo attributes. However, the masses were unable to enter the HI roundabout area because officers lined up to form a blockade of part of M.H. Thamrin road.

Meanwhile, the Polda Metro Jaya revealed that the decision to sterilize the Bundaran HI area from the protest activities was based on a technical study and in-depth social impact analysis in the field.

Head of Public Relations of the Metro Jaya Police, Kombes Pol. Budi Hermanto, in his official statement stated that the axis of Jalan Jenderal Sudirman and Jalan M.H. Thamrin is the epicenter or the main driving wheel of vehicle circulation in the capital.

"The mass concentration at that point is at high risk of triggering total traffic paralysis, which has a domino effect on the arterial roads around it," said Budi.

In addition to being the main vehicle lane, the police noted that the HI roundabout area has now developed into a very strategic mass transportation hub.

In addition, the Bundaran HI area is also a national economic vital object zone as well as an international hotel center. The police assess that the security and comfort in the area must be maintained together in order to maintain the image and economic turnover in the heart of the city.