Jakarta – The public prosecutor charged six Papua activists, Surya Anta, Charles Kossay, Dano Tabuni, Isay Wenda, Ambrosius Mulait and Arina Elopere with makar and criminal conspiracy during their formal arraignment at the first hearing at Central Jakarta District Court on Thursday December 19.

Sign above door reads Public Health Office, document in tree reads Law Number 8/2016

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD says that Indonesia is entitled to take any and all measures to hold on to Papua.

He said this in relation to demands for a referendum on self-determination for Papua in the name of international law.

Jakarta – Five of the Papua activists taking part in the first court hearing in a treason case at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday December 16 wore traditional kari-kari headdresses from the eastern most part of Indonesia.

Jakarta – The panel of judges at the Central Jakarta District Court have postponed the first court hearing which was to hear the reading of the charges against Surya Anta and five other Papua activists.

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that the statement by Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs, Mahfud MD, who said that there have been no human rights (HAM) violations under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is a misleading narrative.

Jakarta – A civil society coalition calling themselves the People’s Front for Human Rights Bandung (Bara Hamba) is urging the Minister for Human Rights and Justice (Kemenkumham) to revoke the Human Rights Friendly City award which was recently given to the West Java provincial capital of Bandung.

Jakarta – Lawyers representing six Papuan activists charged with treason will report the sole judge who presided over a pretrial hearing challenging their arrest to the Supreme Court’s (MK) supervisory board for alleged bias and fabricating the arguments for rejecting the suit.

Ahmad Bil Wahid, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has issued a report on the handling of human rights (HAM) issues in 2019 in Indonesia. Kontras concluded that there has been a retreat on human rights issues this year.

Farih Maulana Sidik, Jakarta – Students from a number of different campuses held a demonstration in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta to commemorate International Human Rights Day on Tuesday December 10.

The students, who marched from the nearby Horse Statue, were joined by workers, the majority of which wore red clothing.

Jakarta – Agus Widodo, the sole judge in a pretrial suit submitted by six Papua activists charged with treason, has rejected all of the points in the appeal saying that the plaintiff’s appeal was flawed in formal and material terms.

Putu Ayu Palupi – Scores of students in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta held a protest action at the Pal Putih Monument on December 10 to commemorate International Human Rights Day.

Jakarta – The Secretary General of the Nusantara Traditional Community Alliance (AMAN) Rukka Sombolinggi says that traditional communities are desperately waiting for the ratification of the Draft Law on Traditional Communities in order to bring down the level of criminalisation.

Adi Briantika – The sole judge at the South Jakarta District Court, Agus Widodo, has rejected a pretrial suit by six Papuan political prisoners who have been charged with alleged treason.

Muhammad Ridwan – Becoming an activist, especially a human rights defender, often means confronting the law. Human rights defenders are not exempt from the treat of criminalisation.

The threat of criminalisation was revealed from data compiled by the Civil Society Coalition for the Protection and Defense of Human Rights (HAM).

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) recorded 1,056 cases related to violations of freedom of assembly in different parts of Indonesia between 2015 and 2018.

Jakarta – On Thursday December 5 the South Jakarta District Court accepted material evidence during a pretrial suit challenging treason charges against Surya Anta and five other Papuan suspects. The evidence, which was in the form of documents, was handed over by the defendant, the Metro Jaya regional police.

Civil servant: If you’ve got any criticisms, aspirations, is that allowed?

Cikarang – The Regional Child Protection Agency (KPAD) in Bekasi, West Java, has recorded that number of men with the sexual deviation of liking same sex relationships or homosexuals in Bekasi is as high as 4,000 people. The data is based on the institution’s records up until late 2018.

Lea Citra, Jakarta – A witness has testified that police pointed a pistol at residents during the arrest of two Papuan students, Charles Kossay and Dano Tabuni, during a raid on the Lani Jaya student dormitory in Depok, West Java, on August 30.