On May 7, 2026, university authorities halted a screening of Pesta Babi (“Pig Feast”), an investigative documentary exploring land conflicts in Papua, at the University of Mataram (Unram).

Co-directed by a journalist and an anthropologist, Pesta Babi highlights the ongoing effects of colonialism in Indonesia. The Mataram Legal Aid Institute, the Indonesian Student Union, and the Student Executive Board (BEM) organized the screening and a subsequent panel discussion on the Unram campus.

Preparations for the screening had begun when the vice rector, accompanied by dozens of campus security personnel, arrived at the venue and ordered organizers to cancel the event, citing a need to “maintain security and public order” on campus. Police intelligence officers and members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) monitored the gathering. According to witnesses, one TNI member warned participants that “activities perceived as supporting separatism” would not be tolerated.

Rather than canceling the event, organizers relocated the screening to a nearby cafe, where students and members of the public reportedly attended the screening and subsequent discussion without further disruption.

The incident follows a pattern of disruptions targeting Pesta Babi screenings at universities across Indonesia. According to the documentary’s producers, at least 21 incidents of intimidation against screenings had been documented by mid-May 2026, including surveillance by intelligence officers, demands to disclose organizers’ identities, threats against hosts, and the forced dispersal of audiences.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the forced removal of an on-campus event to an off-campus location due to stated security concerns. Where there are legitimate security concerns, the university is obligated to take reasonable available measures to ensure security. In the absence of such concerns, content-based restrictions on otherwise legitimate university events undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.nusabali.com/berita/220868/pembubaran-nobar-pesta-babi-dan-rapuhnya-demokrasi-indonesia
https://www.indoleft.org/news/2026-05-08/pesta-babi-film-screening-at-mataram-uni-closed-down-by-campus-authorities.html
https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/pig-feast-documentary-papua-development-free-expression
https://humanrightsmonitor.org/case/authorities-disperse-documentary-screening-at-university-of-mataram/
https://eusee.hivos.org/alert/screenings-of-the-film-pesta-babi-the-pig-feast-cancelled-by-military-the-narrowing-of-civic-space-freedom-of-assembly-and-expression/
https://www.nysean.org/events/pesta-babi-pig-feast-colonialism-in-our-time