[Joint Press Release by Franciscans International, Human Rights and Peace for Papua (ICP), Imparsial, KontraS, Tapol and the West Papua Network.]

Index: ASA 21/024/2013

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – The government will flood the market with imported basic-food commodities to help push down prices and ease inflationary pressure during the consumption-heavy

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – It took two trips to Brazil and the United States, at a total cost to the taxpayer of Rp 2.89 billion ($289,000), for legislators to figure out that satellite

Margareth S.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Rizky Amelia – Where there's smoke, there's fire, as residents of Riau, Singapore and parts of Malaysia can attest to after forest hot spots in Sumatra ge

Yohanna Ririhena, Geneva – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and representatives of Indonesia's NGOs are gathering in Geneva this week to assess the country's serious

Diska Putri Pamungkas & Dessy Aswim – Indonesia is a long way from achieving the openness and tolerance of the United States and Europe toward people of diverse sexualities, experts

Josef Benedict, Geneva – This week, the eyes of the international human rights community – and in particular those of the diplomats working at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva,

Panca Nugraha, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara – While almost everybody else is welcoming Ramadhan with happiness and smiles, for 116 Ahmadis who are now living at the Transito house in Mat

Jakarta – Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Budiman Sudjatmiko on Wednesday expressed concern over remarks uttered by Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi in which he blamed the vill

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The House of Representatives passed a key bill on Tuesday aimed at empowering the country's largely impoverished agrarian class, but the passage was overshado

Bambang Muryanto – The People's Coalition for Military Court Monitoring (KRPM) is to report the intimidation of activists monitoring the Cebongan trial to the Indonesian Military (TNI),

Anggi M.

Muslims across Indonesia began celebrating the holy month of Ramadan Wednesday, with hard-liners vowing to raid "sinful" bars and police steamrolling a mountain of alcohol and porn amid

Gita Rossiana – The growth rate in lending by Indonesian banks fell in June as consumers delayed purchasing high-price items like cars or motorcycles amid fears of rising inflation.

Stephanie Hendarta – Violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims on East Java's Madura Island and an attack on an Ahmadiyah community in West Java are among the 282 cases of religious vio

Jakarta – Issues surrounding Tanjung Priok Port's dwelling time are heating up, with logistics and forwarding firms accusing state-owned port operator Pelindo II of taking benefits from

Jakarta – The People's Coalition for Military Court Monitoring (KRPM) reported the intimidation of journalists covering the Cebongan trial to the press council, asking for an immediate

Carlos Paath & Yeremia Sukoyo – Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo says he intends to decline an invitation to take part in the Democratic Party's convention to select its candidate for n

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) stepped up its drive against drug trafficking and rounded up police personnel and Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers susp

Yohanna Ririhena, Jakarta – A human rights group coalition has urged the Indonesian government to be more open in reporting the country's human rights situation when it presents a repor

Jakarta – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) senior politician Sidarto Danusubroto has been inaugurated as speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), replacing th

Disna Harvens – Having watched the offspring of former presidents Sukarno and Suharto seek high office, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is trying to built a dynasty of his own, groom

Jakarta – A rival faction within the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) called on the leadership of the party to withdraw its decision to nominate party chairman Gen.

AI index: ASA 21/023/2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The House of Representatives has agreed to accept a draft bill proposed by the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP), which calls for stricter regulation of

Novianti Setuningsih – Politicians need to try something new to regain public trust ahead of next year's elections, it appears, with a new survey finding an increasing number of people

The Parliament's passage of the civil organizations law (RUU Organisasi Kemasyarakatan or Ormas Law) on Tuesday 2 July 2013 represents the third significant step backwards for Indonesia

Pandaya – There is something strange in the latest raucous, uninspiring commercials bombarding our brains on local TV channels: A host of advertisements for commercial products starring

Jakarta – Christianto Wibisono from the Institute of Indonesia Presidency says three political dynasties retain a firm hold on current Indonesian politics; namely the Sukarno family, th

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Robertus Wardi & Anastasia Wienanti Resardhy – Presidential hopefuls without the backing of one of Indonesia's political dynasties appear to stand little c

Jakarta – Domestic waste, at 80 percent, remains the top contributor to water pollution in Indonesia.

Ainur Rohmah, Semarang – A plan by the Social Affairs Ministry to close down 50 red-light districts across Indonesia has caused nervousness among inhabitants of the Argorejo red-light d

Rizky Amelia – The chief patron of a scandal-ridden Islamic party, already implicated in a major graft case, now faces allegations of illegally profiting from the sale of a home bequeat

Slamet Susanto and Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana called on the public to keep watching the progress of the Cebongan trial.

Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – Businesses and consumers are to suffer further losses as the time it takes for goods to enter and leave Tanjung Priok Port – the country's main port – continues

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Supreme Court has accepted a judicial review filed by hard-line group the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), abolishing a presidential decree that prevented local a

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – Indonesia's equity market is the most vulnerable to capital outflows in Southeast Asia, a US-based investment bank says, ringing alarms for policy-makers

Farouk Arnaz – The mind-set of law enforcers needs to be changed to make them understand that not all drug users are criminals and that they need rehabilitation instead of imprisonment,

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has thrown the Labor government a lifeline on asylum seekers, offering his own solution to the problem while repudiating Opposition Leader

Bangkok – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) deplored the passage of the Bill on Societal Organizations (Ormas Bill), which it says does not comply with inter

AHRC-STM-126-2013

Ridho Syukra – Bureaucracy reform legislation that threatens underperforming civil servants with dismissal is likely to become law this month, a senior government official said on Wedne

Margareth S.

Tracee Hutchison – To many Australians, Indonesia has come to be seen through the prism of pesky boats and brutalised beef – either that or a cheap and easy surfing destination.

Social-protection systems in many Asia-Pacific middle-income countries, including Indonesia, are failing to support large numbers of poor and vulnerable people due to a lack of spending

Farouk Arnaz – Mobs burned two police stations to the ground in South Sumatra following the fatal shooting of a man suspected of theft, police said on Wednesday.

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – Indonesia's economic growth is at risk of falling below 6 percent for the first time in more than two years as growth drivers such as domestic consumption

Jakarta – It was not until 2001 that Hary Tanoesoedibjo made his debut on the national stage after his company unexpectedly took over Soeharto family's media flagship.