JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian government on Wednesday officially banned a hard-line Islamist group that wants to establish a global caliphate and that organized protests that rocked the country last year.

The move against the group, Hizbut Tahrir, has been hailed by pluralist Muslim groups as a necessary step for halting the rise of radical Islam. But conservative Muslim organizations and human rights groups criticized the decision as unnecessarily punitive.

“It’s a sad day for Indonesia’s fledgling democracy,” said Andreas Harsono, Indonesia director of Human Rights Watch. “Hizbut Tahrir might be a controversial group but it should have the right to appeal the banning.”

The government banned the group under powers granted by a new presidential decree last week that progressive civil society groups widely opposed. Under that decree, organizations that are banned by the government lose their right to appeal.