Ismira Lutfia – The Alliance of Independent Journalists announced on Thursday that it would honor a journalist and a kiosk owner for their exceptional contributions toward freedom of t

Febriamy Hutapea & Markus J.

President Yudhoyono had some successes on human rights in his first term, but he needs to make sure those reforms really stick.

Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President, Republic of Indonesia
Gedung Bina Graha
Jl. Veteran 16
Jakarta Pusat

Re: Human Rights Concerns in Indonesia

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – President re-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says the new Cabinet he intends to form with running mate Boediono will consist mainly of figures from political par

Kupang – Strong public opposition to a government plan to move 10 Komodo dragons from their natural habitat to Bali was fervent as ever on Tuesday.

Niken Prathivi, Nusa Dua – It takes women to make other women talk, to share and discuss their toughest experiences in the hope of eventually solving their common problems.

Jakarta – The newly submitted corruption bill could derail the war against corruption by undermining the authority of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), antigraft activists wa

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – The Judiciary Commission must be strengthened if the government is serious about eradicating corruption in the judiciary and stamping out the so-called "cour

Nivell Rayda – The Supreme Court has taken disciplinary action against 89 judicial officials, including the dismissal of 21 judges, in the first six months of the year, Supreme Court Ju

Camelia Pasandaran – As the campaign teams of losing presidential candidates Jusuf Kalla and Megawati Sukarnoputri began presenting their complaints to the Constitutional Court on Tuesd

Jakarta – Three brothers who played a crucial role in the re-election of Indonesia's president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, are emerging as a formidable political force with considerable

E Mei Amelia R, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office is again being urged to immediately submit a judicial review over the Supreme Court's verdict to release Muchdi Purwoprandjono.

Farouk Arnaz – Hundreds of protestors gathered outside the National Police headquarters on Tuesday to demonstrate against the acquittal of Muchdi Purwoprandjono on a charge of ordering

Anita Rachman – The government's proposed budget allocation for the Ministry of National Education is too small to significantly improve educational standards, activists said on Tuesday

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Army says it is fully prepared to assist the police in antiterrorism work, particularly in the areas of intelligence gathering, bomb disposal and the depl

Adianto P.

Kafil Yamin – On a hot and sticky recent Saturday, hundreds of travelers heading out of the capital to Bogor found themselves stranded in "UKI," a well-known transportation depot in Eas

Nurfika Osman – The country's highest authority on Islam reminded Indonesians on Monday that it had previously issued an edict against Muslims carrying out acts of terror.

Jim Elmslie – The recent shootings at the Freeport Mine in Papua, which resulted in the death of Australian Drew Grant, is the first real test of the 2007 Lombok Treaty between Australi

Leading environmental watchdog Greenpeace demanded that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono tackle the mostly man-made forest fires that have ravaged the nation every year for over a dec

John Aglionby, Jakarta – Most analysts believe last month's double hotel bombing in Jakarta is unlikely to have much permanent impact on Indonesia's economy, provided it was not the sta

Anita Rachman – Nongovernmental organizations on Sunday urged the government to participate in an International Labor Organization plan to adopt an international convention on the prote

Dessy Sagita – A number of organizations have urged the House of Representatives to revise the draft of a health care bill it has been debating since 2002 to ensure money is set aside f

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Joe Cochrane – The Attorney General's Office said on Sunday that it was ready to take action against any publication used by terrorists to spread radicali

Jakarta – A group of unelected legislative candidates say the General Elections Commission (KPU) must quickly implement a ruling issued by the Supreme Court, which would give candidates

Max Lane – The first major political incident after the July 8 Indonesian presidential election were two co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on Jakarta's Marriot and Ritz Carlton luxury h

Kafil Yamin – Drought has dried up the groundwater in several places throughout West Java's Bandung district, forcing residents to cut back on bathing and other usage.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The government defended Friday its decision to approve the creation of an ASEAN regional human rights body which has been widely criticized for being toothless a

Max Lane – For 17 years, from 1990 through to 2007, I regularly contributed articles on Indonesian politics to Green Left Weekly, a newspaper published by the Democratic Socialis

Jakarta – The original drafters of the state secrecy bill say that both legislators and the executive branch have ruined the bill by turning it into a weapon to limit public access to i

Muhamad Al Azhari – Annual inflation is expected to have eased further in July after falling to its lowest level in nine years in June, on the back of falling food prices and also due t

Tom Allard, Jakarta – A former leading figure in the Jemaah Islamiah who knew Noordin Mohamad Top says he doubts the authenticity of a statement posted on the internet under the name of

April Aswadi, Farouk Arnaz & Ferry Irwanto – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday said the July 17 bombings of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels were setbacks that m

Agus Maryono, Purwokerto – Hundreds of protesters rallied Thursday in Purwokerto, Central Java, to demand Banyumas Regent Mardjoko resign for what they claimed was his failure to make g

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – At least 30 West Papuans demonstrated at the offices of PT Freeport Indonesia at the Plaza 89 building in the Kuningan area of South Jakarta, demanding that the F

Tom Allard Herald, Jakarta – A message posted on the internet and purporting to be from the fugitive terrorist Noordin Mohammed Top has claimed responsibility for the twin hotel bombing

Bangkalan, Madura – The regional coordinator of the Madura Ulema Association in Bangkalan has come out in support of a proposed bylaw that would require female students to wear Islamic

Farouk Arnaz – Activists from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute and other nongovernmental organizations are planning to submit a letter to the National Police today protesting the arrest

Ade Mardiyati – In the parking area of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Sulastri sits gazing into the distance.

Heru Andriyanto – The Banten High Court has ordered the Tangerang District Court to retry the defamation case against Prita Mulyasari, a top provincial judge said on Thursday.

Indonesia, Asia's third-fastest expanding major economy, needs to gradually build its foreign reserves and follow a "cautious" monetary policy stance to keep investor confidence, the In

Fidelis E.

Jakarta – Antigraft activists, officials and judges all admit that the network of corruption within the judicial system, known as the "court mafia", is becoming more prevalent.

Amanda Ferdina, Jakarta – Four demonstrations will be organised this morning on Wednesday July 29.

Jakarta – Human rights activist, Usman Hamid, is adamant that Muchdi Purwopranjono, a former Intelligence Agency (BIN) general was involved in the murder of Munir Said Thalib, even thou

Bogor – Thousands of the world's frog species are on the brink of extinction and efforts to conserve them are urgently needed, the president of the Association of Southeast Asian Zoos s

Agnes S.

The Supreme Court is publicly perceived as a corrupt institution and it is no wonder that the public has little trust in the country's highest judiciary institution.

Shamim Adam – Indonesia will announce initiatives to spur investment, improve infrastructure and enhance social safety nets within the first 100 days of the next administration taking o