Jakarta – The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor, Imparsial, said the lack of recognition and protection was endangering human rights defenders in Indonesia.

"Everyone in the legislative, executive, and judicial bodies have said over and over that they want to protect human rights," said Poengky Indarti, Imparsial's External Relations Director.

"If that is true then they should first protect human rights defenders who have the same purpose as them."

Poengky said Indonesia has already ratified the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, which pronounces that the state would do its best to protect human rights and defenders of rights.

The country has also shown improvement in human rights protection at the normative level, she added. "In the past five years the country has ratified many international human rights agreements," Pongky said.

She cited the Law on Public Information as one example of the improvement.

"Though there is improvement on the normative level, the implementation of human rights protection is still disappointing. Even the case of the human rights champion Munir known as 'the test of our history' has not been solved."

She stressed that not only had the state failed to give real protection, state officials had even become the perpetrators of violations against human rights defenders.

Voicing the same opinion, a research staff member from Imparsial, Al-araf, said police officials are among the main perpetrators of violence against human right defenders, with military officials and thugs following in the second and third position.

In its report regarding violations against human rights defenders from 2005 to 2009, Imparsial said there have been at least 96 cases.

The report defined a human rights defender as a person who acts to address any human rights on behalf of individuals or groups.

"The data on the violations have been acquired from our networks. However, it is most likely that the real number is far higher," Al-araf said.

According to Imparsial's report, student activists were highest on the list of defenders whose rights have been violated.

About 129 students activists have suffered arbitrary arrest and detention and even been tortured in the last five years. Farmers followed in the second position. About 111 farmers have been tortured, arrested and have even lost their land.

Journalists, in their efforts to write news, followed in the third position. About 45 journalists have been tortured, have had their journalistic equipment destroyed, and even been killed in the last five years.

In February 2009, a reporter from Radar Bali, Anak Agung Prabangsa was killed. Many believed that his death was connected with a corruption story that he was working on.

Even when Special Representative from the UN, Huna Jilani, came to examine the situation of human rights defenders in 2007, some of the local defenders she met with came under threat.

Imparsial said it was possible that the threats were connected with Jilani's coming. Albert Rumbekwan, at that time the head of Human Right Commission in Papua, was one of the defenders who received threats. (mrs)