Guritno, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said that a civics or nationalism test (TWK) cannot be used as a pretext to sideline Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) employees who have different political views from the government.

Lukman Hakim, Surabaya – On Saturday May 1 hundreds of workers from the Indonesian Metal Trade Workers Federation (FSPMI) held a demonstration in front of the Negara Grahadi building on Jalan Gubernur Suryo in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya as part of activities commemorating International Labour Day.

Vincentius Jyestha, Jakarta – The United Development Party (PPP) and the Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) have agreed to continue fighting for the enactment of several pieces of national legislation – one of which is the Draft Law on the Prohibition of Alcohol (Minol).

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) is concerned that the discourse on labeling armed crimiAccording to Amar, it is appropriate nal groups (KKB) in Papua as terrorists will give rise to the misuse of power.

Questions are being asked about whether or not the rule of law applies equally to all Indonesian citizens after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was a special guest (kondangan) at a glitzy celebrity wedding at a time when large gatherings are banned under Covid-19 health protocols (protokolkesehatan) and similar events have been routinely broken u

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.

Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia says that the government cannot just issue a joint ministerial decree (SKB) on uniforms in state schools. The decree must be followed by revoking the 2006 joint ministerial decree on establishing houses of worship.

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.

Dian Erika Nugraheny, Jakarta – Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) advocacy division head Muhammad Isnur says that the government often tends to blame the public for its poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Devina Halim, Jakarta – The Security sector Reform Coalition says that there are three problems which need to be addressed when the sole candidate for the next police chief, Commissioner General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, takes over the leadership of the national police.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that the planned reactivation of the Swakarsa Civilian Security Force (Pam Swakarsa), which was proposed by candidate national police chief Commissioner General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, is a betrayal of the values of reformasi.

Jakarta – The press community is calling on Indonesian police chief (Kapolri) General Idham Azis to revoke Article 2d of Kapolri Decree Number: Mak/1/I/2021 on Obeying the Prohibition on Activities, the Use of Symbols and Attributes and Halting the Activities of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

Irfan Kamil, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid says that the government's decree banning, disbanding and halting all organisational activities by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) has the potential to discriminate against and violate the right of association.

The Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) and the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) again launched actions in several parts of the country on December 19. This time the actions took up the theme, "Trikora: The Start of Indonesia's Colonisation of the West Papua Nation".

Jakarta

Haris Prabowo – The total number of people who used their right to vote in the December 9 election of regional heads was low in several parts of the country. In the context of Indonesian politics, those who do not vote – regardless of the motivation and reasons – can be classified as golongan putih or golput.

Jakarta – The deliberation of the Draft Law on the Eradication of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS) is still the subject of a polemic. Some parties, including for example the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) believe the law will be able to push down the level of sexual violence and protect victims.

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.

Sabrina Asril, Jakarta – The practice of obstructing press freedom has happened again.

Jakarta – Demonstrators from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) have protested the police's actions in blocking them when they wanted to hold a rally at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday November 16. They have experienced the same problem during demonstrations in Papua.

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.