Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – A 30 year-old civil servant in the Dharmasraya regency of West Sumatra, identified as Alexander, was arrested Friday for blasphemy after creating a Facebo

Camelia Pasandaran – An Indonesian civil servant who posted "God does not exist" on his Facebook page has been taken into police custody for his own protection after he was badly beaten

Marcel Thee – At first glance, Karl Karnadi may look like any other 20-something trying to find his place in the world.

Sean Parnell – The Queensland Parliament has called on Indonesia to investigate and act on humans rights abuses in Papua.

Yogyakarta – The home of high-profile Indonesian activist George Junus Aditjondro was raided by an enraged mob on Friday after the outspoken democracy campaigner made a pun about the Yo

Agus Triyono – Two activists from ultranationalist youth group Bendera have been sentenced to seven months in prison for failing to prove their allegations that members of the president

Camelia Pasandaran – Outraged at being referred to as "Patrialis Mini" on a Metro TV program, the justice and human rights minister has filed a complaint with the Indonesian Broadcastin

Camelia Pasandaran, Arientha Primanita & Antara – Police on Friday said a group of Indonesians would not be allowed to host an event on Saturday to mark Israel's independence day.

Camelia Pasandaran & Antara – The National Police on Friday denied a group of Israeli descendants permission to host a party to celebrate Israel's day of independence.

Petaling Jaya – Three Malaysians were queried by Jakarta police Thursday for suspected participation in a demonstration at the Indonesian capital, where the 18th Asean Summit is being h

E Mei Amelia R, Jakarta – Indonesian police arrested three Malaysian citizens in relation to the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on May 7-8.

Indra Harsaputra, Kediri – Two female junior high students from Kediri, East Java, have been expelled from their school for allegedly defaming and insulting a teacher on Facebook.

Amir Tejo, Surabaya – Head of the Surabaya City Police Sr. Comr.

Dicky Christanto and Indra Harsaputra, Jakarta/Surabaya – Recent pressure by local military chiefs in East Java to cancel the scheduled airing of an opera about a prominent Indonesian c

Jakarta – A performance that was banned in the past is being showcased in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's era.

M. Azis Tunny, Ambon – Police have arrested five suspects in the murder of Alfrets Mirulewan, chief editor of the Pelangi Maluku weekly tabloid.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – A journalist with the Tribun Timur daily was beaten by supporters of controversial Gowa Regent Ichsan Yasin Limpo during a protest rally in front of the rege

Arti Ekawati, Indonesia – Indonesia on Wednesday launched a giant project to create a $5 billion agricultural estate spanning three districts in Papua.

Imprisoning activists for peacefully voicing their political views is an ugly stain on Indonesia's recent improvements in human rights.

The Human Rights Consequences of Criminal Defamation Law in Indonesia

Jakarta – Around 35 representatives of students and civil society groups from Papua demonstrated on Wednesday March 17 in front of the United States Embassy and the State Palace in Cent

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – One of the first rules of being in the public eye is not to give away free kicks – especially when your public is already disposed to seizing any opportun

Erwida Maulia and Dicky Christanto, Cipanas/Jakarta – The ongoing gubernatorial meeting has added an unusual topic to its agenda: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's question on what t

President Yudhoyono has a chance to show Papuans before the December 1 anniversary that Indonesia is a rights-respecting country that upholds free expression.

Ref: TG ASA 21/2009/43. AI Index: ASA 21/019/2009

Anthony Deutsch, Jakarta – Indonesia's government has stopped a group of exiled Myanmar opposition activists from holding a conference in the country, officials said Thursday, a day af

Lilian Budianto and Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – The police on Wednesday banned an international meeting organized by members of the Burmese (Myanmarese) government-in-exile in Jakarta

Ismira Lutfia – The Alliance of Independent Journalists announced on Thursday that it would honor a journalist and a kiosk owner for their exceptional contributions toward freedom of t

The Australian foreign minister says he's leaving it up to Indonesian authorities to decide whether to take up his country's offer for more assistance to investigate the deadly shooting

A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged the nation Monday to avoid mass public demonstrations that could destabilize the nation's political balance as was see

Astrid Wijaya, Jakarta – The debate rages over whether excessive media coverage encourages crime, with one woman admitting she was emulating the endeavors of a heavily documented serial

Jayapura – A group of demonstrating students from the Coalition of Students and the Community Concerned about the Land of Papua (KMMPTP) were ordered to disband by police units in Abepu

West Papua National Coalition for Liberation expressed alarm over border violation and discretion of border marker in Vanimo, Sandaun Province by the Indonesian Military.

London – The Indonesian government should order the immediate release of nine Papua activists arrested for displaying the Papuan Morning Star flag, Human Rights Watch said today.

Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua – Since the fall of Soeharto's regime, Indonesia has apparently begun to move toward democracy.

A London-based Papuan activist has criticised the Governor of Indonesia's Papua for upholding a ban on the Morning Star Flag.

Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu said Wednesday the province would uphold a newly issued government regulation that bans the use of separatist attributes as regional symbols, a move in lin

Ted Sprague – In the midst of the hue and cry over the non-renewal of RCTV's license in Venezuela, freedom of speech is being blatantly violated in other parts of the world.

Amnesty International welcomes the decision of the Indonesian Constitutional Court to decriminalise the act of insulting the President or the Vice-President, as a significant step towar

Reporters Without Borders has lambasted the decision of the Indonesian authorities to ban screening of four films, three on East Timor and one about Aceh province, at the 8th internatio

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has written to the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao calling for a veto of the penal code pro

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) has urged Xanana Gusmao, President of Timor-Leste, to veto the criminal defamation provisions contained in the country's new Penal Cod

Washington, D.C. – The West Papua Advocacy Team at the Robert F.

Journalists and freedom of expression advocates in East Timor are calling for international opposition to a new law that would punish defamation with jail time and unspecified fines.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Andi Hajramurni, Jayapura – The police have foiled an attempt to raise the outlawed Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag, keeping pro-independence action planned fo

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papua Governor JP Solossa on Wednesday told residents not to celebrate the self-declared independence anniversary of Papua on Dec. 1.

TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign, strongly condemns the decision of the police in Jayapura to ban an action planned for tomorrow, 15 November, to welcome the launch in The Net

Anyone planning to exercise their democratic rights by staging rallies along Jakarta's main roads during the Asian-African Summit should think again as the police have orders to send th

Indra Shalihinl, Jakarta – Don't try to hold a demonstration during the Asia Africa Conference because Jakarta must look beautiful.