SBY expressed his commitment to clarify who is responsible for the murder of Munir - 13-02-2012. "Let the courts prove who is involved in the death of Munir", he said.
The president stressed that during his seven years' administration, there have been no incidents that can be claimed to be serious human rights violations. Nevertheless, his government has home work to do in solving a number of serious human rights violations that are the legacy of the earlier governments.
International Crisis Group has published a new report:
The deadly cost of poor policing
Indonesian communities are increasingly turning to violence to retaliate against the police for abuses, real or perceived. Some 40 attacks on police stations and personnel since August 2010 are clear evidence that community policing, the centrepoint of the police reform agenda, is not working; police are too quick to shoot, usually with live ammunition; and little progress has been made toward police ac-countability. In the absence of urgent reforms and mecha-nisms to address local grievances, public hostility is likely to grow. Police are supposed to be helping prevent conflict but too often they are contributing to its outbreak. Read the report here.
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Nineteenth session, Agenda Item 3, interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status
INDONESIA: Attacks on religious minorities remain largely unchallenged by justice institutions
The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) has noted with concern the ongoing violence against religious minorities in Indonesia. Many cases of such violence are characterized by a lack of protective action by the police and institutional discrimination against minority groups. The ALRC urges the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, and the Independent Expert on minority issues to intervene with the government of Indonesia concerning the following issues, in order to put a halt to abuses and ensure the equal treatment of all religious groups in the country.
Read the whole statement here.
The Talangsari events (6-7 February 1989) are now 23 years back. Still the solution of the case is stuck in the middle of a legal process without end. Notwithstanding the fact that the fulfilment of justice is part of constitutional and political objectives of the SBY government. Since the beginning of his administration, SBY has maintained that the increase of the people's welfare, the strengthening of democracry and the law enforcement are the objectives of his government.
Solving human rights violations from the past: Albert Hasibuan
Mr Albert Hasibuan, member of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres), former member of the Human Rights Commission KomnasHAM, has expressed his commitment to solve human rights violations from the past. This vow he made after he was inaugurated as a member of the Wantimpres, replacing Jimly Asshiddiqie, at the Presidential Palace, last Tuesday (10 January 2012). As a member of KomnasHAM Mr Hasibuan has also acted as the chairperson of the Investigative Commission on Human Rights Violations in East Timor. Read the article here.
Komnas HAM Minta Konflik Pelauw Lekas Diselesaikan
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia (Komnas HAM) meminta pemerintah segera menyelesaikan konflik kekerasan yang terjadi di Desa Pelauw, Kabupaten Maluku Tengah, Provinsi Maluku. "Komnas HAM mendesak Polda Maluku agar mengupayakan segala kemampuan agar konflik berhenti," kata anggota Komnas HAM, Johny Nelson, dalam konferensi pers di kantor Komnas HAM, Kamis 16 Februari 2012. Continue reading.
Justice at a snail's pace: Some worker activists from the Committee for People's Struggle brandish posters demanding reform in the law and justice systems in front of the Supreme Court office in Jakarta on Thursday. The protesters urged the court to take decisive action to eradicate the judicial mafia and fight for justice, especially in cases involving labor issues.(JP/Jerry Adiguna)The Jakarta Post 16-02-2012
This website presents information on impunity in general and in Indonesia. It discusses possible instruments to fight impunity and it will share documentation on human rights violations in Indonesia and the ways they are investigated and the perpetrators punished.
In a country where human rights violations go unpunished, people will continue to be repressed. Impunity has its impact on all sectors of society and spreads the fear among the population for more violations. Still Indonesian human rights defenders have the courage to speak out.
The aim of this website is to raise awareness that impunity must be stopped, and to collect information and documentation that will support Indonesian human rights defenders in their effort to fight impunity.
SBY is not the only Indonesian official at risk of overseas prosecution, but he is by far the most high-profile. And while, for now, he has full immunity from prosecution, upon leaving office he will only be entitled to the significantly weaker protections afforded to a former head of state – which have been waived in other international cases where gross violations of human rights have been at issue. So, once his term in office draws to an end, the president could be forced to choose his travel destinations carefully.
By failing to ensure justice for victims of human rights abuses in Indonesia, SBY has made himself vulnerable to international prosecution. But, ultimately, the president remains in control of his own destiny because there is still time to undertake further legal reform. If SBY chooses to champion the rights of victims, he will increase his chances of avoiding a situation where he finds himself confined to Indonesia for fear of foreign prosecution – and in the process, bring the perpetrators to justice.
Read also the Kompas Survey on SBY's human rights performance here.
Verdict Rawagede:
On 14 September 2011 a Dutch Court in The Hague has decided that the Dutch Government is legally obliged to pay compensation for executions that have taken place in Indonesia in 1947. It opens new perspectives for other human rights violations. More news on Rawagede here.
INDONESIA: Human Rights in 2011 - The Decay of Pancasila and Constitutional Protections
On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 the AHRC publishes its annual report on the State of Human Rights in Indonesia in 2011.
