On Friday the 21st of June 2019, the Ministry of Education and Culture resolved to work collaboratively with the Indonesian National Armed Forces in disseminating material to new students during school orientation week.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) is urging the state to carry out a substantive internal reform of the National Police (Polri). This is because according to data gathered by the YLBHI and the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) there were 115 cases of police negligence in handling problems with civilians.

Jakarta – The head of Indonesian Police Public Relations Division Information Section, Senior Commissioner Asep Adi Saputra, says that police are currently looking into the involvement of Kopassus’ Rose Team (Tim Mawar) in the riots that took place in Jakarta on May 22.

Jakarta – A joint investigation of the May 2019 affair in Jakarta has found alleged human rights (HAM) violations against journalists, medical teams, local people and protesters in the police’s handling of the May 22 actions. In addition to this, there were also legal and procedural misconduct in dealing with the protests.

Jakarta – Lokataru Foundation Human Rights and Law Director Haris Azhar is pessimistic that the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have the political will to resolve the murder of labour activist Marsinah 26 years ago.

Jakarta – National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) commissioner Choirul Anam says that the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) could forcibly summon Agum Gumelar over his admission about the abduction and forced disappearances of pro-democracy activists in 1998.

Jakarta – The younger brother of missing radical street poet and labour activist Wiji Thukul, Wahyu Susilo, is urging presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto to go to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and testify on the abduction and the forced disappearance of democracy activists by the Rose Team in 1997-98.

Jakarta – Dionysius Utomo Rahardjo, the father of pro-democracy activist Petrus Bima Anugrah who was abducted in 1998 for challenging Suharto’s New Order regime, is pessimistic that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will resolve the human rights violations that took place in 1997-1998 if he is re-elected in April.

Lani Diana Wijaya, Jakarta – The government is being asked to ascertain the fate of the activists who disappeared after being abducted in 1998.

Manado – In the lead up to International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8, a number of organisations in Manado, North Sulawesi, have joined together in the Civil Society Coalition Against Sexual Violence (KMSAKS) to hold actions supporting the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS).

Devina Halim, Jakarta – National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas HAM) chairperson Azriana Manalu has revealed that the government has discarded as many as 100 articles from the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS). Komnas Perempuan is one of the initiators of the RUU PKS.

Kristian Erdianto, Jakarta – The Islamic based Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) has rejected the Draft law (RUU) on the Elimination of Sexual Violence.

Jakarta – Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Central Leadership Board Chairperson Desmond J Mahesa is convinced that presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto will not shy away from solving the 1997-98 abductions of pro-democracy activists if he is elected as president.

Wisnoe Moerti – The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has returned nine case dossiers on past gross human rights violations to the National Human rights Commission (Komnas HAM).

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) hopes that the candidates who will fight it out in the 2019 presidential election can explain their views on what they will do with regard to the Ahmadiyah, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community and the families of former Indonesian Communist Par

Fabian Januarius Kuwado, Jakarta – Human Rights (HAM) activists in Indonesia have few expectations about the first debate between the presidential (capres) and vice-presidential (cawapres) candidates on January 17.

Fabian Januarius Kuwado, Jakarta – The coordinator of the Commission for Missing Person and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Yati Andriani, hopes that panelists will ask hard questions about human rights (HAM) during the first presidential debate which will be held on January 17.

Human rights activists and civil society groups have few expectations that the first presidential debate scheduled for January 17 between incumbent President Joko Widodo and rival Prabowo Subianto will address human rights issues in any substantial way given that neither camp has shown any commitment to protecting civil and political rights or a

Jakarta – The head of the Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno presidential election campaign team (BPN), Djoko Santoso, says that that it is better to violate human rights than allow the country to disintegrate.

Rio Tuasikal – Raids conducted without legal grounds have again occurred against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people. Three transgender women in Lampung province, North Sumatra, were hosed down with water from a fire truck in an action which has been slammed as “inhuman” and “arbitrary”.