Bagus BT Saragih and Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The country's failure to resolve past human rights cases will hinder its attempts to play a greater role on the global stage, says UK-based rights watchdog Amnesty International.

"If the Indonesian government wants to be taken seriously by other countries, it will have to take immediate steps to deal with a range of human rights issues in the country," Josef Roy Benedict, Amnesty's campaigner for Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Indonesia is currently seeking a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, and is confident its ASEAN chairmanship will boost its chances. It chaired the council in 2006, and was a member between 2007 and 2010.

Josef said Amnesty would continue documenting and reporting any human rights abuses in Indonesia should the country be elected as a member of the council.

"The Indonesian government has the duty to resolve past human rights issues, such as the killing of human rights defender Munir [Said Thalib], and bringing the perpetrators to court. We will keep reminding [Indonesia of the duty]," he said.

On Friday, Amnesty released its annual global report, The State of the World's Human Rights, which is an overview of human rights in 157 countries. In the report, the NGO expressed concern about the considerable number of human rights violations in Indonesia last year.

One incident included in Amnesty's highlights was the ongoing persecution of Islamic minority sect Ahmadiyah, the latest chapter of which occurred in Cikeusik, Pandeglang regency, Banten, in February, in which three Ahmadis were killed after more than 1,500 people brutally attacked an Ahmadi house.

Josef suggested that moderate Muslim groups, like Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, improve their role in reducing intimidation and discrimination against Ahmadiyah.

"We had meetings with leaders from these two organizations in April 2011 and they shared our concerns. Because of their large numbers, they can give a strong voice and play an important role in educating their members that violence is never justified and that they should respect the rule of law," he said.

Amnesty also highlights the "torture and ill-treatment" of suspected separatists in Papua and Maluku by Indonesian security forces.

The release of Amnesty's report coincided with the commemoration of the May tragedy 13 years ago when four Trisakti University students were shot dead by security authorities during a rally against Soeharto's authoritarian regime.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, according to National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) chief Ifdhal Kasim, claimed he was committed to resolving past cases of human rights violations and looking for mechanisms to speed up the process.

"The President has a strong political commitment to resolving the cases, including the 1998 May riots, before his tenure ends in 2014," Ifdhal said after meeting with Yudhoyono on Friday.

Key highlights of Amnesty's annual report on Indonesia:

• Torture and ill-treatment of poor detainees and suspected pro-independence activists in Papua and Maluku.
• The police's excessive use of force during arrests and to quell demonstrations.
• The suppression of freedom of expression, with activists and journalists intimidated, harassed and killed.
• Violence and discrimination against religious minorities and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people.
• The policies that deny unmarried women access to reproductive health services.
• The absence of proper and full-ranging legal protection for 2.6 million domestic workers.
• The impunity for past gross human rights violations in Aceh, Papua, and Timor-Leste.

[Source: Amnesty International.]