Amnesty warned that a law of this nature would be highly vulnerable to misuse, particularly as a tool to censor criticism that is inconvenient for those in power. Labeling dissenting opinions as threats to sovereignty or dangerous incitement could further shrink Indonesia’s civic and democratic space.

The organization also questioned the political consistency behind the bill, noting a contradiction between frequent narratives about foreign threats and the government’s aggressive efforts to attract foreign investment. Hamid cited the President’s recent invitation to British universities to open campuses in Indonesia as an example of this inconsistency.

Such contradictions, Amnesty argued, raise suspicions that the bill is less about national security and more about legitimizing the government’s increasingly hostile stance toward public criticism. Constantly framing criticism as foreign interference without clear proof, the group said, only contributes to disinformation rather than combating it.

Amnesty International Indonesia concluded that the proposed bill lacks sufficient urgency and poses a real risk of becoming a new instrument to silence human rights defenders and critical citizens. To safeguard freedom of expression, the organization called on the government to immediately halt the drafting of the Bill on Countering Disinformation and Foreign Propaganda.(Uki)

YouTube player