Jakarta – The Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) is urging President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to temporarily halt operations by mining companies around the country which they believe are neglecting workers’ safety in the midst of the corona pandemic (Covid-19).

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition from the Indonesian People’s Faction (FRI) is asking the government to evaluate the performance of the police during the corona virus (Covid-19) epidemic. According to the FRI, a number of activists have been intimidated and terrorised.

Devina Halim, Jakarta – The Coalition Against Criminalisation and Case Manipulation is urging President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Indonesian Police Chief (Kapolri) General Idham Azis to immediately release human rights activist Ravio Patra.

Jakarta – The Human Rights Defenders Coalition is urging President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to immediately order Indonesian police chief (Kapolri) General Idham Azis to put an end to violence by officers against environmental activists during the corona virus pandemic.

From an op-ed piece titled Focus on Investment Growth

Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) believes that violations against human rights (HAM) and civil freedoms have worsened in 2019. YLBHI General Chairperson Asfinawati says that the indicators on human rights protection and civil freedoms have worsened as depicted by an increase in rights violations in various sectors.

Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – According to a report by the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam), regions which have a large number of mining concessions were hit by some of the worst flooding in 2019.

Jakarta – The police have been cited as the principle actor in incidents of violence when land conflicts have broken out throughout 2019. These findings were based on an annual report by the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA). Some 279 agrarian conflicts occurred in 2019, although this number is lower than last year which saw 410 cases.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – One of the lawyers representing six Papua activists being tried for treason, Annisa Rizky, says that her clients are being criminalised for excursing their freedom of expression.

Jakarta – The Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) has recorded that over the last five years conflicts involving mining have occurred on land covering some 925,748 hectares, involving at least 71 cases.

Jakarta – Three farmers were arrested by police after holding a protest action opposing an oil refinery which coincided with a visit by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to the construction site of the PT Trans Pacific Petrochemical Indotama (TPPI) refinery in Jenu, Tuban, East Java, on Saturday December 21.

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.

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).

Shinta Maharani, Yogyakarta – Around 100 students from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) along with various other organisations held a protest action demanding a referendum for West Papua at the Gajah Mada University (UGM) traffic circle in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Sunday December 1.

Jakarta – Scores of students from the United Student Front (FMB) held an action at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday November 11.

Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – Research and international digital rights advocacy institute Freedom House says that internet freedom in Indonesia has worsened compared with last year.

According to their rating, in 2018 Indonesia was rated as 54 out of 100, but in 2019 its position dropped to a ranking of 51.

Jakarta – Civil freedoms under the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo are seen as having declined. Based on the results of a Saiful Mujani Research Center (SMRC) survey between May and June 2019, 43 percent of respondents said they were afraid of expressing an opinion in public.

Racism by the ruling class through the security forces and reactionary civil militia groups against the Papuan people has triggered a fight back. The siege and attack on the Papuan student dormitory in the Central Java city of Surabaya on August 16 triggered a wave of anti-racist protests in Papua and across Indonesia.

From an oped piece titled This is Bahasa Indonesia.