A State-run Islamic college named Institut Agama Islam Negeri Ambon in Indonesia has courted controversy after its administration shut down the publication of a student magazine over its investigation of sexual assault cases on campus.
The institute is located in Ambon city in the Maluku province of Indonesia. In March this year, the student magazine Lintas published detailed testimonies of 25 female and 7 male survivors of sexual violence.
The incidents took place on campus between the period 2015-2021. Several episodes of sexual assault also took place during field research trips or at the homes and offices of lecturers. Owing to a thorough investigation, Lintas was able to identify a total of 14 perpetrators.
[SIARAN PERS]
— AJI Indonesia (@AJIIndonesia) July 8, 2022
KEBEBASAN PERS DIJEGAL PIHAK KAMPUS, LPM LINTAS GUGAT KE PTUN AMBON
Lembaga Penerbitan Pers Lintas di Institut Agama Islam Negeri Ambon mngajukn gugatan pmbatalan Surat Keputusan No 92 Tahun 2022 ttg Pembekuan LPM di PTUN Ambon, Maluku, Kamis, 7 Juli 2022.
~UTAS~
The accused included 8 lecturers, 3 employees, 2 students and 1 alumnus. Lintas undertook a 5-year-long probe, starting in 2017, to ascertain the facts of the case.
One of the lecturers named as an accused by the student magazine had asked a survivor to delete sexually explicit messages. After the episode of sexually inappropriate behaviour was exposed by Lintas, 5 people known to the lecturer assaulted 2 staff members of the magazine.
The victims were identified as M. Nurdin Kaisupy and Muh. Pebrianto, who worked as a reporter and designer for Lintas.
3) Sblmnya, Lintas dibekukan pd 17 Maret 2022 krn mnurunkan liputan khusus kekerasan seksual bertajuk “IAIN Ambon Rawan Pelecehan.” Dlm majalah edisi Januari 2022 yg bredar pd 14 Maret lalu itu tertulis, 32 org mengaku mjdi korban pelecehan seksual di IAIN Ambon …
— AJI Indonesia (@AJIIndonesia) July 8, 2022
In an article titled, ‘IAIN Ambron prone to Harassment‘ and published by Lintas, a victim narrated how she was sexually harassed in classrooms, homes of the institute’s employees, and the boarding houses of the lecturers.
The unnamed victim had also revealed about other episodes of sexually inappropriate behaviour by a lecturer during a follow-up exam at his house. Another female student was also victimised by the same lecturer.
They were reportedly rubbed on their backs and held by the waist on multiple occasions. The accused has refuted the allegations and claimed it to be nothing but slander.
5) Brdsrkan SK pembekuan itu, unit kegiatan mahasiswa yg berdiri sejak 26 April 2011 itu dinonaktifkan tanpa batas waktu. Shingga Lintas diwakili empat penggugat, yakni Yolanda Agne, M. Sofyan Hatapayo, Idris Boufakar, dan Taufik Rumadaul, menyatakan melawan SK itu di PTUN Ambon.
— AJI Indonesia (@AJIIndonesia) July 8, 2022
On March 17, the Institut Agama Islam Negeri Ambon rector, Zainal Abidin Rahawarin, directed the campus security to shut down the student magazine. He ordered them to seal the newsroom, and seize the equipment belonging to Lintas.
While accusing the magazine of ‘defaming’ the Islamic institute, Rahawarin reported a total of 9 students to the police for exposing sexual assault incidents on campus.
Despite assuring action as per protocol against the perpetrators of sexual violence, the IAIN Ambron rector did not set up a task force as mandated in such cases since 2019.
7) Jalur PTUN ini juga dinilai sebagai langkah bijak dalam upaya mengembalikan pers mahasiswa untuk beraktivitas kembali dan tidak dianggap ilegal oleh kampus.
— AJI Indonesia (@AJIIndonesia) July 8, 2022
Gugatan ini didampingi Koalisi Pembela LPM Lintas.
The clampdown on a student magazine by the administration of the Islamic institute prompted demonstrations from over 2 dozen journalists, student media outlets and even the Alliance of Independent Journalists in Indonesia.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for the immediate intervention of the Religious Affairs Minister of the country, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. It has sought revocation of the ban on Lintas and a comprehensive probe into the allegations of sexual assaults.
