Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja – Last year, Riska seriously contemplated suicide.

Elisabeth Oktofani – The former editor of the short-lived Indonesian edition of Playboy magazine has said his release from prison marks a victory for press freedom in the country.

Vincent Lingga, Jakarta – The Indonesian government's decision last week to stop sending maids to Saudi Arabia starting as early as next month should only be a temporary ad hoc measure

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – The government needs to evaluate its fight against poverty as three poverty reduction programs – direct cash assistance, rice for the poor and health security f

A group of NGO has demanded more clarity from the Forestry Ministry on its REDD+ programs after it accepted US$3.6 million in grants from the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Faci

Former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin will not return to Indonesia because he believes he will be mistreated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Anita Rachman & Antara – The antigraft agency on Thursday called on the Prosperous Justice Party to help arrange for the return of fugitive Nunun Nurbaeti, one month after the woman

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – Growing aggressive with its antiterrorism measures, the government is devising a legal tool that would expand the scope of prosecution, targeting hate-inciti

AHRC-STM-083-2011 – A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, June 26, 2011

AI Index: ASA 21/015/2011

Muhamad Al Azhari – Foreign direct investment has shown little growth as a percentage of gross domestic product since 2008 and "continues to underperform that in regional peers," a lead

Rangga Prakoso – The jailed former editor in chief of the short-lived Indonesian edition of Playboy magazine will likely walk free today after the Supreme Court overturned a 2009 decisi

Jakarta – Researchers say Indonesia loses US$37.2 billion a year, about 7 percent of its gross domestic product, due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, high blood press

Jakarta – The Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said on Wednesday that 71.43 percent of all illegal loggers forced to stand trial were acquitted of all charges, and 14.29 percent were se

Dion Bisara & Faisal Maliki Baskoro – The government should raise fuel prices instead of putting further strain on the state budget with additional fuel and power subsidies, analyst

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Students and workers have again demonstrated against the draft law on state intelligence (RUU Intelijen Negara), this time by covering their bodies with white pai

Samarinda – Scores of students from the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN, formerly LMND-PRD) held a protest at the East Kalimantan Regional House of Represent

Iwan Taruna, Makassar – A protest action by hundreds of students rejecting the Draft Intelligence and State Secrecy Law (RUU Intelijen) at the South Sulawesi Regional House of Represent

Medan – Protesters from the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN, formerly LMND-PRD) in the North Sumatra capital of Medan oppose the enactment of the Draft Law o

Yogyakarta – Scores of students from the Student Struggle Centre for National Liberation (Pembebasan, formerly LMND-PRD) held a protest action in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on

Nurfika Osman – Human rights activists on Thursday accused Indonesian police of fanning the flames of religious-based conflicts rather than protecting victims and upholding rights.

Ulma Haryanto & Farouk Arnaz – The nation's antiterrorism czar has called on the state to toughen laws against hate speech and paramilitary training in the wake of rising security f

Ulma Haryanto – A 17-month jail term handed down to a senior politician on Wednesday closed the first chapter in a high-profile, Rp 24 billion ($2.8 million) bribery scandal that has so

Jakarta – In any metropolis, the government ostensibly exists to protect the powerless. At its best, a city's government helps the people avoid the law of the jungle.

Jakarta – Susiko Triwidiyanto, who is hearing impaired and cannot speak, learned computer skills at a special high school for persons with disabilities, but finding a job after graduati

Dessy Sagita – Hundreds of activists demanded on Thursday that Indonesia's Health Ministry revoke a 2010 ministerial decree regulating the proper procedure for female circumcision.

Ismira Lutfia & Ronna Nirmala – Media advocates have called for the selection of a board of supervisors for state-owned broadcaster TVRI to be carried out anew, alleging the current

Anita Rachman & Ulma Haryanto – The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a revision of the 2003 Constitutional Court Law that will significantly curtail the bench's authority,

Elisabeth Oktofani & Dofa Fasila – A city official has admitted that there would be no end to the dredging of Jakarta's rivers as long as people keep dumping waste in them.

Around 1,000 people died in traffic accidents in the capital city of Jakarta and its environs in 2010, according to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police.

Jakarta – Jakartans have given a low job approval rating for Governor Fauzi Bowo and his deputy Prijanto, especially in their handling of Jakarta's perennial problems involving traffic

The Finance Minister on Wednesday said that number of civil servants (PNS) is too high, burdening the state budget because of the outlays on salaries, pensions and insurance.

Arientha Primanita – The home affairs minister urged regional administrations on Wednesday to tighten their purse strings and reduce the number of contract workers in their ranks.

Jakarta – The Press Council and AJI say violence against journalists does not get enough attention from the press and the government, with cases – some led to death – closed without tri

Camelia Pasandaran, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's legal staff were outraged when outspoken Constitutional Court Chief Justice Mahfud M.D.

The Indonesian government on Wednesday suspended sending migrant workers to Saudi Arabia effective as of August 1, until both countries had reached an agreement to better protect the wo

Jakarta – Citing a Greenpeace study, the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said on Wednesday that up to 88 percent of the logging activities in Indonesia were illegal.

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – A coalition of antigraft activists deployed members to study the track record of the 215 nominees applying to be the next leaders of the Corruption Eradication Co

Padang – The West Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) said that the Obedient Wives Club could not be banned in Indonesia because their teachings did not violate the

Camelia Pasandaran – Constitutional Court Chief Justice Mahfud M.D.

Shirley Christie – At least one US shoe maker plans to build a factory in Indonesia, and other US companies are exploring opportunities to collaborate with local producers, to make foot

Jakarta – Central Jakarta District Court representative judge Heru Susanto cancelled a hearing on Tuesday in a case implicating two Australian newspapers – The Age and the Sydney Mornin

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – A woman in Aceh filed criminal charges against her "husband" of less than three months after finding out that he was in fact a woman, police said on Tuesday.

Jakarta – Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) commander Lt. Gen.

The number of new HIV infections continues to rise in a nation with few testing clinics and the continued prevalence of unprotected sex, the latest health data shows.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Three Indonesians radicalized by the teachings of a firebrand Muslim cleric were sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison for involvement in a terror plot.

Ismira Lutfia – The highest concentration of Indonesians facing the death penalty or who are on death row abroad are in Malaysia, the foreign ministry said.

Rizky Amelia – Two former United Development Party lawmakers on Monday were each sentenced to 15 months in jail for their involvement in the corruption scandal surrounding the appointme

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The National Board for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers (BNP2TKI) should be held responsible for the beheading of Indonesian worker

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Today is the 41st anniversary of the death of Indonesia's first president and founding father, Sukarno, but the House of Representatives almost overlooked the