• Competitive, credible, and fair local elections in Jakarta and the province of West Kalimantan in 2012 underscored the ongoing transition from decades of authoritarian rule in Indonesia. The government’s willingness to accept numerous recommendations from the United Nations review of Indonesia’s human rights record was another hopeful sign of a growing commitment to respecting rights. However, Indonesia remains beset by serious rights problems. Violence and discrimination against religious minorities, particularly Ahmadiyah, Bahai, Christians, and Shia have deepened. Lack of accountability for abuses by police and military forces continues to affect the lives of residents in Papua and West Papua provinces.

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  • Two asylum-seeking boys stand on a staircase while detained at Belawan Immigration Detention Center in September 2012
    Indonesia detains and neglects migrant and asylum-seeking children. Each year, hundreds are detained in sordid conditions, without access to lawyers, and sometimes beaten. Others are left to fend for themselves, without any assistance with food or shelter.

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Indonesia

  • Jun 30, 2013
    Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should order local authorities to return hundreds of Shia villagers to their home village and to ensure their security, Human Rights Watch said today. Yudhoyono should also publicly order local governments and security forces around the country to protect religious minorities threatened by militants, and enforce the order by dismissing officials who fail to carry it out.
  • Jun 24, 2013
    Indonesia detains and neglects migrant and asylum-seeking children. Each year, hundreds are detained in sordid conditions, without access to lawyers, and sometimes beaten. Others are left to fend for themselves, without any assistance with food or shelter.
  • Jun 24, 2013
    Arif was only 15 when he fled Afghanistan, without his parents, and paid smugglers to take him to Indonesia. There, he was detained for months in sordid, overcrowded immigration detention facilities where the guards beat him. When he got out, he felt he had no options in Indonesia, so he risked the boat journey to Australia.
  • Jun 23, 2013
    I have interviewed many boys who, like Arif, are traveling alone. They are often their family’s last hope – their parents sell off their last piece of land or borrow money to help them flee the violence or poverty of their homelands. They are resilient and brave, undertaking these remarkable journeys alone. They also carry a heavy weight on their shoulders – they know the sacrifices their family made to send them into safety, and they are desperate to make good on their opportunities, no matter how slim.
  • Jun 22, 2013
    In 2012, Indonesia reached a milestone. For the first time in recent history, the number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Indonesia topped 1,000.
  • May 23, 2013
    It’s not every day that a world leader whose country frequently makes the news for sectarian violence wins a religious freedom award.
  • May 23, 2013
    Indonesia has seen enormous changes over the last 15 years. Human Rights Watch is aware of the general and widespread improvements that have occurred with respect to basic civil and political rights, particularly the flourishing civil society and media.
  • May 21, 2013
    The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) was founded in 2003 with the goal of strengthening governance by increasing transparency over revenues from the oil, gas, and mining sectors. EITI has contributed to much greater disclosures of information and helped spur dialogue in many countries. But EITI has not made progress toward its ultimate purpose of enhancing accountability in resource-rich countries. An independent evaluation commissioned by EITI in 2011 concluded, “EITI has not been a significant driver of change. While transparency has improved, accountability does not appear to have changed much.” The evaluation attributed this problem to the absence of a coherent strategic vision, explaining that without clarity on how publicizing credible data on natural resource revenues would lead to better governance, EITI would not be able to direct its efforts to where they would be most likely to deliver results.
  • Apr 23, 2013
    The Indonesian government should urgently amend its laws so that military personnel accused of human rights abuses are tried in civilian courts.
  • Mar 25, 2013
    President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia should order local governments not to demolish houses of worship and should revoke discriminatory regulations on religious structures.