SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Indonesia cops human rights criticism

Amnesty International says the Indonesia's decision to resume death sentences in 2015 is a 'dark stain' on the president's human rights record.

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Indonesia's historical and contemporary human rights abuses have come under fire in the latest Amnesty International global report card.

In the State of the World's Human Rights annual report, released on Wednesday, the organisation has criticised President Joko Widodo for failing to adequately address past violations and provide justice to victims.

"President Widodo has a long way to go to live up to his election promises on human rights," Amnesty spokeswoman Claire Mallinson told AAP.

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of a 1965 failed coup and slaughtering of between half and one million Indonesian Communist Party members and suspected sympathisers.

There were also incidents of torture, rape, disappearances, sexual slavery, forced displacement and labour documented during that period.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Although Indonesia has set up a "reconciliation committee" to address the human rights violations, victims are concerned the process will actually undermine efforts to find truth and justice.

Ten years after a peace agreement was struck in Helsinki, Indonesia was also not doing enough to examine abuses that occurred during the 29-year conflict in Aceh in which 10,000 to 30,000 people died, Amnesty said.

The execution of 14 drug traffickers, including two Australians, in January and April 2015, was a "dark stain on Mr Widodo's record", Ms Mallinson said.

There are more than 130 people still on death row in Indonesia.

Amnesty was also unimpressed that Indonesia initially pushed overcrowded vessels of Rohingya asylum seekers and Bangladeshis back to sea during a stand-off with Thailand and Malaysia.

Eventually Indonesia and Malaysia permitted people to disembark and accommodated them on a temporary basis.

But despite Indonesia housing thousands of boat people, the government had not clarified whether they could stay beyond May 2016, the report says.

HUMAN RIGHTS GAINS

* Indonesia lawmakers to look at legal protection for women working as domestic maids in 2016.

* West Papuan pro-independence activist Filep Karma released after a decade behind bars.

* Restrictions on foreign journalists applying to visit Papua to be lifted but unclear if fully implemented.

POOR MARKS

* 108 people were caned for gambling, drinking alcohol in Aceh.

* New Acehnese Islamic criminal code approves the use of corporal punishment for same-sex sexual relations and intimacy between unmarried individuals. * Cases of religious minority groups experiencing harassment, violence and forced evictions.

* Arbitrary arrest of peaceful protesters, especially in Papua.

(Source: Amnesty International)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world