WORKER ARRESTED FOR CRITICIZING FORMER EMPLOYER

On August 26, 2024, Septia Dwi Pertiwi, a former worker at a tax and accounting services company in Jakarta, Indonesia, was arrested after a co-owner of her former company accused her of defamation under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law. She had criticized the company on social media for allegedly underpaying employees and neglecting their rights. She was recently detained for 25 days at the Pondok Bambu Detention Centre in Jakarta. She is now under city detention until November 30, 2024.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: December 15, 2024

Take action:

• Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
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contact information:

sample letter:

Dear Dr. Burhanuddin,

I am writing to express my concern for Septia Dwi Pertiwi, who is under ‘city detention’ in Jakarta, Indonesia, after criticizing her former employer.

On January 21, 2023, Septia Dwi Pertiwi criticized her former employer, PT Hive Five, on social media for allegedly underpaying employees and neglecting their rights. Septia Dwi Pertiwi was reported to the police by Henry Kurnia Adhi, co-owner PT Hive Five, accusing her of defamation under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (EIT Law); a law that has been misused to criminalize hundreds of people in Indonesia since 2016.

On August 26, 2024, Septia Dwi Pertiwi was arrested and charged with violating the Electronic Information and Transaction (EIT) Law for defamation and was detained for 25 days. On August 27, 2024, Septia Dwi Pertiwi and her legal team applied for release from detention. The judges granted the request on September 19, 2024, and placed Septia Dwi Pertiwi under city detention from September 19 to November 30, 2024. 

I urge you and the authorities to immediately release Septia Dwi Pertiwi and drop the charges against her. I also urge you to ensure that all activists can freely carry out their peaceful activities without fear of hindrance, intimidation, arbitrary arrest, or other reprisals. Finally, I call on you to stop using the Electronic Information and Transactions Law to silence activists and treat defamation as a civil matter.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

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