Jakarta – Lawyer and Papua advocate Veronica Koman has criticised the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government for ratifying the Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law on Papua, saying that the law only represents the interests of the government.

Jakarta – University of Indonesia epidemiologist Pandu Riono is questioning the grounds for the government changing the emergency Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities (PPKM) rules on places of worship. As has been reported, places of worship are now allowed to open.

Hardani Triyoga and Dani Randi, Banda Aceh – Banda Aceh Public Order Agency officers (Satpol PP) and the Wilayatul Hisbah (Religious police, WH) have sealed off two beauty salons in Seutui and Lamseupeng which were being used for deviant homosexual practices.

Muhammad Saifullah, Banda Aceh – Scores of workers held a long-march from the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque to the Simpang Lima traffic circle in the Achenese provincial capital of Banda Aceh to commemorate International Labour Day which fell on Saturday May 1.

Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy human rights and security sector researcher Ikhsan Yosarie is urging the government to use a soft approach in dealing with the conflict in Papua.

Jakarta – The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy recorded 180 incidents and 412 acts which violated freedom of religion and belief (KBB) in Indonesia in 2020. The majority were committed by state actors.

Banda Aceh – Non-government organisations (NGOs) and millennial groups in Aceh held an International Women's Day (IWD) virtual campaign at the Ivory Cafe in Setui, Banda Aceh, on Monday March 8.

Agus Rahmat, Dani Randi (Banda Aceh) – Officials from the Banda Aceh municipal Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and Wilayatul Hisbah (Sharia police, WH) have sealed off a hotel in the Batoh area for frequent violations of Islamic law. The hotel was also sealed off because its operational license expired in 2018.

At the Taman Sari building in the Acehnese provincial capital of Banda Aceh, MU and TA grimaced with pain as two executioners flogged each of them 77 times. The punishment was handed out for the crime of liwath – same sex relations between two men or gay sex.

Jakarta – Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) Director Arif Maulana has confirmed the view that the state has played a role in perpetuating racism against Papuans.

Jakarta – The secretary general of the Agrarian Land Consortium (KPA), Dewi Kartika, has called in a pledge by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who said during the 2019 presidential election that he would return land over which he has land use rights (HGU) to the state.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has given virtual greetings to mark International Human Rights (HAM) Day during an event held by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM). During the event, Widodo stressed the importance of protecting human rights.

Banda Aceh – the Aceh Ulema Consultative Council (MPU) – an assembly of religious leaders in Aceh – have issued a sticker prohibiting people from playing online gambling and the game Player Unknown's Battle Grounds (PUBG). The stickers will be put up on all coffee shops (warkop) and cafes in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.

Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that war crimes need to be included as gross human rights violations. The group said this in the context of commemorating 20 years since the enactment of Law Number 26/2000 on a Human Rights Court.

Achmad Zulfikar Fazli, Jakarta – The Jakarta Islamic State University Social and Islamic Studies Centre (PPIM UIN) has released the results of the latest research on religious trends on social media.

Banda Aceh – Residents of Kuta Alam in the Acehnese provincial capital of Aceh have caught a gay couple having same-sex relations at a boarding house. The possible existence of a wider gay community is also being investigated.

Jakarta – A survey by the polling group Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) has found than the majority of the public does not believe in the revival of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Jakarta – The Indonesian Advocacy and Justice Action Campaign (AKSI) community admits that it is disappointed by an Agriculture Ministry (Kepmentan) decision to revise a 2020 ministerial decree that lists marijuana as a medicinal plant.

Alfath Asmunda, Banda Aceh – A series of cases of sexual violence against children has taken place in Aceh. Last week for example, two infants in Greater Aceh became victims of sexual violence committed by their uncle with the initials YL (49).

Raja Umar, Banda Aceh – Pictures of a group of women cyclists wearing tight clothing and no headscarfs riding around the Acehnese provincial capital of Banda Aceh has gone viral on social media.

The photos and videos of the women wearing sexy pink tops invited criticism from netizens.