Human rights website banned

The International Gay and Lesbian Rights Commission (IGLHRC) website has been banned in Indonesia, according to the organisation.

A spokesperson for internet service provider IM2 told the IGLHRC that the order came from the Communication and Information Minister, who banned it due to its content which he determined contained pornography.

“This is not the first time that attempts to organise and educate [LGBT] people and their allies have been met with state censorship,” IGLHRC executive director Alan Johnson said.

“All too often, governments use the charge of pornography as a smokescreen to attack freedom of expression.

“Oppressive governments can’t stop the tide of LGBT voices — whether they are on the internet, in the media or on the streets. IGLHRC stands with human rights defenders in Indonesia in their struggle to keep the web free for dialogue.”

Web censorship in Indonesia is frequent but is neither well organised nor uniform and depends on the operator and their respective location.

With word that the IGLHRC website had been banned, the organisation reached out to dozens of activists in Indonesia who investigated the accessibility of the website.

Indonesian activists confirmed that they were unable to access the IGLHRC website.

Many reported they were denied accessibility, especially when the providers were mobile phone operators IM2 and Telkomsel.

Mobile phones are widely used in Indonesian for internet access.