The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, recently made a two-week visit to Indonesia on invitation from t

Banda Aceh – Commemorating World Human Rights Day, hundreds of activists in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh held a torch-lit procession from the Simpang Lima roundabout to the City

Jakarta Post – Human rights activists say there has been no significant improvement in human rights protection in the country this year.

Alfian, Jakarta – Activists proposed Sunday a model for a truth and reconciliation commission in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam aimed at accommodating the victims' sense of justice.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A human rights group has reported that inmates at Tanjung Gusta penitentiary in Medan were being brutalized by prison guards.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights said it would soon decide if human rights abuses that occurred under former president Soeharto's reign can be classified as "gross viol

Although the 7 December 2000 Abepura case is now closed according to the law, victims of this bloody incident are not satisfied.

Jakarta – Indonesian human rights activists said Friday that despite many shortcomings, the efforts to improve human rights awareness in Indonesia have started to show results.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The House passed on Thursday the bill around political parties and freedom of association, pluralism, gender quality and peaceful settlement of internal di

Jakarta – Experts and activists on Monday urged the government to reject the pornography bill because it was "unnecessary, legally inappropriate and would threaten the country's stabili

Jakarta – Citing government failure to pursue alleged human rights violations, non-governmental organizations have grouped in a national alliance known as the People's Fight Back Commit

Bruce Gale, Senior Writer – "There were no crimes against humanity in East Timor" in 1999, retired Lieutenant-General Kiki Syahnakri told a hearing of the joint Indonesian-Timor Leste C

Jakarta – The State Ministry for Women's Empowerment invited public figures Thursday to evaluate the revised draft of the Pornography Bill, which has stirred debate among women's rights

Jakarta – National intelligence chief Syamsir Siregar said Wednesday he was ready to testify in the Munir murder case.

Dili – Four East Timorese soldiers were convicted of murder and sentenced to up to 12 years in prison Thursday for gunning down unarmed police officers during a spasm of violence in the

Jakarta – An alliance of 12 non-governmental organizations has demanded the revision of Jakarta's new public order bylaw, saying it opposes pluralism.

Jakarta – The trial of Indra Setiawan for conspiracy to murder in the Munir Said Thalib case resumed Tuesday with witnesses from Garuda Indonesia confirming that the deployment of Polly

An open letter from a worldwide coalition of human rights organizations has called on the UN Security Council to act for substantive justice for the East Timorese people, as a council d

Jakarta – A rights watchdog group and victims of the conflict in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam lodged a complaint against the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Monday for t

In 2006, the United Nations established a Human Rights Council in place of the discredited UN Commission for Human Rights.

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Deliberation of bill on access to information from public institutions within the House of Representatives could end in deadlock because the government wants

Ed Davies, Jakarta – Indonesia has made great strides combating rights abuses since autocratic president Suharto was ousted in 1998, but torture of detainees in police custody still app

Jakarta – Beatings and other forms of torture are entrenched in much of Indonesia's prison system, where a culture of impunity reigns, a UN envoy said Friday.

Jakarta – Pinching or slapping your child is not acceptable – and it's your responsibility to report others who do.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives has been urged to review a number of laws relating to Bank Indonesia and other banking issues following allegations that funds had been transferre

Jakarta – The government should review the National Narcotics Agency (BNN)'s performance and its activities, which focus more on anti-drug campaigns rather than fighting drug syndicates

From a total of 22 people employed by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), 19 resigned Thursday in protest against the foundation's current leadership.

Jakarta – The information, defense and foreign affairs commission at the House of Representatives will likely bring back a bill on free flow of public information so it can be discussed

Jakarta – Court hearings on Tuesday around the murder of human rights activist Munir have uncovered irregularities surrounding the deployment of off-duty pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priy

During the past nine months, Indonesia has been visited by three UN human rights experts, Hina Jilani, the special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Human Rights Defenders

Christopher S. Rugaber, Washington – The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Bush administration for its view on a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp.

Jose Sarito Amaral, Dili – Thousands of Timor Leste citizens commemorated yesterday (12/11) the tragedy of 12 November 1991, when Indonesian soldiers fired on a crowd of youths in Santa

Jose Sarito Amaral, Dili – Thousands of Timor Leste citizens commemorated yesterday (12/11) the tragedy of November 12, 1991 when Indonesian soldiers fired on a crowd of youths in Santa

Jakarta – Today is the ninth anniversary of the Semanggi I case when 17 people died, including six students.

Jakarta – The UN's special agent responsible for investigations into human rights abuses, Manfred Nowak, is set to commence his two week information gathering exercise across the archip

The National Human Rights Commission is planning to re-open the case of the disappearance of Aristoteles Masoka, the chauffeur of Theys Hiyo Eluay, the chairman of the Papuan Presidium

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Constitutional law experts have recommended improvements to the legislature's system of checks and balances between the House and Regional Representatives Coun

Jakarta – Rights groups demanded Thursday the government provide full access to a UN special rapporteur on torture and cruelty slated to begin a visit this weekend.

Jakarta – The Munir murder case took a new turn Wednesday when three key witnesses testified in the murder conspiracy trial of former Garuda Indonesia chief Indra Setiawan, saying the p

New York – The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) today released a report showing progress in promoting human rights in the nascent country while calling for furth

Ary Hermawan, Denpasar – The Bali-chapter of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Institute (PBHI) said the government needed to take action on the prevailing local customary laws

The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and its sister organization the Asian Human Rights Commission welcome the proposed visit by the Special Rapporteur for Torture, Dr.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The joint Indonesia-Timor Leste Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF) will ignore UN criticism and focus on finalizing its report without testimonials from o

Agnes Winarti, Jakarta – Due to a lack of accurate data, authorities in North Jakarta are finding it difficult to deal with the problem of human trafficking, an official said at a publi

Jakarta – Director general for tourist destination Ddvelopment at the Tourism Ministry, Sambudjo Parikesit, warned related institutions Thursday of potential child exploitation in the s

Jakarta – A coalition of NGOs and the National Commission on Human Rights expressed different opinions Thursday about the al-Qiyadah sect, which has been described as "misguided" and pr

Jakarta – Central Jakarta District Court judges ruled Wednesday that the most recent indictment in the murder case of rights activist Munir Said Thalib stands, and that former Garuda In

M.

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) hopes that the police will soon provide an explanation for the arrest of an activist from the Foundation for Legal Education

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
Washington, DC 20520

October 31, 2007

Dear Madame Secretary,