Amir Tejo, Surabaya – Lawyers for a Shiite cleric standing trial for blasphemy in Sampang, East Java, have highlighted glaring irregularities in the trial, one day before the verdict is

An Indonesian court sentenced a Shiite cleric Thursday to two years in prison for blasphemy, saying his teachings deviated from mainstream Islam and had caused "public anxiety."

Ulma Haryanto – The Sampang prosecutors office in East Java on Wednesday demanded a four-year prison term for a local leader of the Shiite branch of Islam, on charges of blasphemy.

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Jakarta – In what critics have condemned as a precedent that may harm free speech and individual liberty, a court in West Sumatra sentenced on Thursday Alexander A

Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of an Indonesian man detained for professing atheism, calling his imprisonment a serious setback for freedom

An Indonesian man arrested after writing "God doesn't exist" on his Facebook page was jailed for 30 months Thursday for sharing explicit material about the Prophet Mohammed online.

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – Alexander Aan, 32, a Minang civil servant who was arrested for blasphemy after he declared himself an atheist on a social media website, was sentenced to

Febriamy Hutapea – Human rights activists have called for a court to acquit a civil servant who faces up to three and a half years in prison for admitting to being an atheist.

ALRC-CWS-20-08-2012

Human Rights Council
Twentieth session
Agenda Item 3
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – The Yogyakarta Police have been urged to be serious in dealing with the forced abandonment of the recent discussion forum, allegedly marred by acts of vio

Jakarta – Even though the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, the nation needs tougher regulations to deal with religious hate speech that might lead to violence, rights acti

Arientha Primanita – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said on Monday that he would pray for Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) chief Rizieq Shiha

Arientha Primanita & Dessy Sagita – Lady Gaga was never going to show up at Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno stadium on Sunday.

Pangkalpinang – Banning Lady Gaga's Jakarta concert did not go far enough to protect youth, according to a chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), who demanded that the singe

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta, Indonesia – Lady Gaga canceled her sold-out show in Indonesia after Islamist hardliners threatened violence claiming her sexy clothes and provocative dance move

Farouk Arnaz – National Police refused to shoulder blame on Monday after Lady Gaga's management decided to cancel her June 3 Jakarta concert because of security concerns – specifically,

Jakarta – The decision by Lady Gaga's management to cancel her planned June 3 concert reflects a government that is weak in the face of intolerant political groups, according to human r

Jakarta – The Islamic People's Forum (FUI), made up of several hard-line Islamic groups including the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Lady Gaga'

After the announcement that pop diva Lady Gaga's Jakarta concert was off, thousands of her fans, who call themselves "little monsters," sent a flurry of Twitter messages to persuade her

Arientha Primanita & Bayu Marhaenjati – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto did not want to be troubled by an Islamic Defenders Front (FPI)

Arientha Primanita – Opposition from hard-line Muslim groups to Lady Gaga's planned concert in Jakarta should not be heeded by the police, a senior government minister said on Thursday.

Jakarta – Former president and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri said on Thursday that the ongoing Lady Gaga controversy reflected the na

Margareth S.

Jakarta – Members of the National Unity Party (PPP) visited the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta on Thursday to support the police's ban on Lady Gaga's planned June 3 conce

Jakarta – Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Faisal Basri is calling on police to stand up against aggressive organizations threatening violence over US singer Lady Gaga's concert in the c

Bayu Marhaenjati – More Islamic organizations came to Jakarta Police headquarters on Wednesday to denounce Lady Gaga's upcoming concert in the capital, as the Jakarta Police stuck to it

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Islamic People's Forum (FUI) – a unit of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) – said on Tuesday that Indonesian Christians should be upset with Lady Gaga, an

Jakarta – After a two-hour meeting deliberating whether they would grant US pop diva Lady Gaga a recommendation to perform in Jakarta, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) decided on Tues

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Islamic People's Forum, one of the hard-line groups that has come out against Lady Gaga's upcoming concert in Jakarta, said it had been offered a bribe by

Lenny Tristia Tambun – The Jakarta Police say they were ready dispatch 4,000 officers to secure Lady Gaga's Jakarta concert, scheduled for June 3, and warned the Islamic Defenders Front

Farouk Arnaz & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The National Police revised its stance on the Lady Gaga concert on Monday, saying it might issue the permit the show needs to go on.

Hard-line group the Islamic Defenders Front has purchased 150 tickets to upcoming Lady Gaga concert, which it will use to enter the venue and stop the show, a spokesman for the group sa

Ahmad Pathoni – About 50 Indonesians staged a flash mob on Sunday to demand that Lady Gaga be allowed to perform in the country amid uncertainty about her scheduled concert in Jakarta.

The National Police said on Friday they have not yet decided whether they will issue a permit for Lady Gaga's scheduled Jakarta performance on June 3.

Arientha Primanita – Groups opposed to the appearance of Lady Gaga in concert filed a formal objection letter with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's office, according to reports.

Jakarta – Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali has voiced appreciation for law enforcement agencies for not recommending that American diva Lady Gaga be allowed to perform in the

Zaki Pawas – The Jakarta Police said on Thursday that they would disperse Lady Gaga's concert in the capital originally scheduled for June 3 if the promoter insists on going on with the

Cultural sensitivity, along with a difficult political climate, are two reasons why conservative groups are winning in their fight to have artists like Lady Gaga banned from performing

Jakarta – US pop singer Lady Gaga has received the dubious honor of becoming the first foreign artist to be denied a concert permit by Indonesian authorities.

Margareth S.

Iman Mahditama, Jakarta – The battle to hold a concert for American pop diva Lady Gaga in Jakarta reached new heights Tuesday with attacks coming from many corners against the Jakarta P

Jakarta – The US pop diva Lady Gaga's scheduled concert fiasco proves that certain hard-line groups have been successfully pushing local authorities to meet their demands, indirectly co

Iman Mahditama, Jakarta – Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Untung S.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesian police on Tuesday, May 15, refused to allow pop phenomenon Lady Gaga to perform in Jakarta after Islamic hardliners vowed to mobilize thousands of suppor

Michael Bachelard, Jakarta – Indonesia's national police are considering banning a performance next month by pop diva Lady Gaga amid threats of violence by Islamic extremists.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – If the National Police are going to ban western imports like Lady Gaga out of respect for Indonesian values, then police need to ban imports pushing "Middle E

Jakarta – While the police have apparently bowed to the so-called public pressure to ban the upcoming Lady Gaga's concert in Jakarta, an official from the Indonesia's largest Muslim org

Natasia Christy Wahyuni – While radical Indonesian Islamic groups have voiced their opposition to the planned Lady Gaga concert in Jakarta, the secretary general of the Indonesian Counc

Jakarta – Church groups are urging the National Police to reverse their decision to deny a permit for US singer Lady Gaga's upcoming concert in Jakarta, saying that it will hinder freed

Margareth S.