Anastasya Lavenia Y, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director, Usman Hamid, has called on President-elect Prabowo Subianto's administration to prioritize human rights protection. He highlighted numerous rights violations that occurred during President Joko Widodo's tenure.
"These violations – including repression of freedom of expression, displacement of indigenous communities, environmental destruction, escalating conflicts in Papua, and the entrenchment of a culture of impunity – are prominent examples of the previous government's breaches of Indonesia's international human rights obligations and commitments," Usman stated in an official release on Friday, October 18, 2024.
Usman noted that human rights activists and civilians have frequently faced repression. From January 2019 to October 2024, Amnesty International Indonesia documented at least 454 incidents involving attacks on 1,262 human rights defenders, including indigenous activists, journalists, and environmental advocates.
"The new government must understand that protests are not a threat to the state," he said, urging the Prabowo administration to make human rights enforcement a priority and ensure citizens have space to voice their concerns.
Usman warned that failing to address past violations would inevitably lead to their recurrence, stressing that the incoming administration has a responsibility to end Indonesia's legacy of impunity.