Rachmadin Ismail, Jakarta – There has been no significant change in the handling of cases of missing person or human rights violations since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been

Rachmadin Ismail, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) visited the Directorate General of Human Rights at the Department of Justice and Human R

[The following is an extended version of a presentation by Carmel Budiardjo at a conference in Dili, Timor-Leste in August 2009 on the theme: Strengthening Solidarity: The Struggle f

Geoff Thompson, Indonesia – As East Timor celebrates a decade of self-rule, President Jose Ramos-Horta has called for an end to all United Nations-led investigations into the serious cr

Dili – An Indonesian man allegedly involved in crimes against humanity in East Timor when the country voted for independence has been released from a Dili prison, the United Nations sai

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – The President of East Timor, Jose Ramos-Horta, has called on the United Nations to stop gathering evidence against the killers of hundreds of Timorese, saying hi

East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta is out of touch with the people over his refusal to accept an international tribunal to try perpetrators of past atrocities, the opposition said

Pandaya and Yemris Fointuna, Dili – Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta asked Indonesia on Sunday to return the remains of its independence fighters who died in Indonesia.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Eight years after the introduction of "special autonomy" scheme developed by the central government for Papua and West Papua, major problems remain, with m

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – East Timor is under pressure to release an Indonesian citizen accused of leading one of the country's worst massacres, as hundreds of East Timorese attended a ce

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A lawmaker said on Sunday that the House of Representatives was likely to adopt a controversial article in the State Secrecy Bill that would allow media outle

Matt Crook, Dili – After three years behind bars as a political prisoner in Indonesia, British human rights campaigner Carmel Budiardjo saw firsthand the viciousness of former President

Sara Everingham – East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta has dismissed calls by Amnesty International to establish a war crimes tribunal to investigate human rights violations there du

John Aglion, Dili – Jose Ramos-Horta, East Timor's president, has called for those responsible for the death of Sander Thoenes, the Financial Times journalist killed during 1999 violenc

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Indonesia has been dealt a blow by Britain's highest court of appeal, with a ruling in favour of convicted murderer Tommy Suharto getting his hands on Eur

Heru Andriyanto – The Attorney General's Office is putting together a new corruption case against Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra in an attempt to keep the injunction on his 36 million eur

A decade after Timor-Leste voted for independence, a culture of impunity continues to haunt the country's people.

Long-term development in East Timor – which celebrates the tenth anniversary of its vote for independence on Sunday 29 August 2009 – will be "seriously hindered" if justice for past cri

East Timor's stability is threatened by the failure to prosecute those behind the 1999 violence.

Sunanda Creagh, Jakarta – The United Nations Security council should set up an international criminal tribunal to investigate abuses in East Timor both under Indonesian rule and in the

Camelia Pasandaran – In somewhat unusual circumstances, two beautiful North Sulawesi women wearing skirts slit all the way up to their waists and low cut white silk tops performed a tra

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-105-2009

Dear friends,

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – ASEAN countries must consider forming a regional human rights court if they are truly committed to protecting the basic rights of their citizens, a coalition of

Dili – Ten years after East Timor's historic independence referendum, victims are still waiting for justice for crimes and rights abuses committed during Indonesia's brutal 24-year occu

Jakarta – The 30-year-old woman stuttered as she tried to tell the story of when she had been arrested by a group of police officers in 2005.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A lawmaker taking part in the discussion on the state secrecy bill urged the government on Sunday to pass the bill before the current House of Representative

Jakarta – If passed into law, the state secrecy bill could lead to abuses of power by unscrupulous government officials, activists and experts warn.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The recent attacks in Papua, especially those around the Freeport mining complex, were aimed at provoking the military into committing human rights violations

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – Australian forensic experts have identified the remains of three victims of an Indonesian army massacre that took place in East Timor 18 years ago.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor, Imparsial, said the lack of recognition and protection was endangering human rights defenders in Indonesia.

Eras Poke, Kupang – Authorities in East Timor arrested an Indonesian on Sunday over his alleged role in a deadly attack at a church there during the upheaval experienced after the count

Jakarta – Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono says the public need not worry about the State Secrecy Bill, citing democratic progress.

Jakarta – The Information and Electronic Transactions Law may become a tool of political censorship, journalists and lawyers attending a regional seminar organized by the Alliance of In

A West Papuan human rights activist is in New Zealand this week to lobby support for international dialogue on issues surrounding Indonesia's Papua region.

Jakarta – The Press Council says the current State Secrecy Bill is an ironic twist on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's election commitment to uphold democracy and the rights of all

Makassar – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said Monday that police officers had committed human rights violations during a clash with local residents over a land di

Takalar – A clash between local residents and police at a sugarcane plantation in Takalar regency, South Sulawesi wounded 10 people on Sunday.

Heru Andriyanto – The Attorney General's Office has received a copy of the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the acquittal of former top intelligence official Muchdi Purwoprandjono, who

It is very disappointing that the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) leaders have again failed to condemn the human right abuses being committed by the Indonesian security forces in West Papua.

Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President, Republic of Indonesia
Gedung Bina Graha
Jl. Veteran 16
Jakarta Pusat

Re: Human Rights Concerns in Indonesia

President Yudhoyono had some successes on human rights in his first term, but he needs to make sure those reforms really stick.

Farouk Arnaz – Hundreds of protestors gathered outside the National Police headquarters on Tuesday to demonstrate against the acquittal of Muchdi Purwoprandjono on a charge of ordering

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The government defended Friday its decision to approve the creation of an ASEAN regional human rights body which has been widely criticized for being toothless a

Farouk Arnaz – Activists from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute and other nongovernmental organizations are planning to submit a letter to the National Police today protesting the arrest

Heru Andriyanto – The Banten High Court has ordered the Tangerang District Court to retry the defamation case against Prita Mulyasari, a top provincial judge said on Thursday.

Jakarta – Human rights activist, Usman Hamid, is adamant that Muchdi Purwopranjono, a former Intelligence Agency (BIN) general was involved in the murder of Munir Said Thalib, even thou

Jakarta – Human rights activist Usman Hamid says he will not withdraw a statement linking former Deputy Chief of State Intelligence Agency (BIN), Muchdi Purwopranjono, to the murder of

Kinanti Pinta Karana – Victims and their families gathered on Monday to mark the thirteenth anniversary of a violent political riot which left five people killed and scores wounded in t

Heru Andriyanto – The Tangerang District Court on Monday found 10 children guilty of gambling in a controversial ruling that sparked outrage among Indonesia's child welfare activists, e

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The state secrecy bill, set to be passed in October, has raised concern that Indonesia will step back and revert to a tyrannical state, a discussion concluded