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| Human Rights |
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Despite a democratic government, human rights conditions in Indonesia have deteriorated over the past year. While the administration of former President Abudurrahman Wahid took steps towards legal and judicial reform, the new government still faces many obstacles to the protection of human rights in Indonesia. Among those are a corrupt executive system, a weak legal system and the absence of an independent judiciary. Moreover, ongoing economic problems, regional conflicts and tension between the military and civilian branches of government are further sources of instability and violence in the country.
Some argue that the military is one of the most serious violators of human rights in Indonesia. The 275,000 member armed force, Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI), has historically wielded considerable political influence in the country and has played a large role in internal security, often using violence to control instability. Although the government has made efforts to place the military under civilian control, it continues to be a major actor, particularly in conflict regions.
Please click here for more on the Role of the Military.
The most serious abuses of human rights have occurred in three regions currently embroiled in conflict: Aceh, Papua and Maluku. The proliferation of pro-independence movements in these regions, both armed rebels and non-violent civil-society based organizations, has caused violent clashes between the military, separatist forces, and civilians. In Aceh and Papua, this past year has seen a rise in the number of extrajudicial executions committed by security forces and armed rebel groups. Torture and assassinations of human rights activists and other civilians have also been widespread. The government is also holding political activists and innocent civilians as political prisoners for their role in organizing non-violent pro-independence activities.
In Maluku, inter-religious fighting has resulted in the largest number of casualties and the creation of many refugees. Abuse and harassment of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has also been prevalent in many regions of Indonesia, including against East Timorese refugees in West Timor.
For more information, please see the following resources:
Briefing on the Current Human Rights Situation in Indonesia, Amnesty International
Annual Report 2000: Indonesia and East Timor
AI: Political crisis deepens in Jakarta while repression continues in Aceh and Papua
IDP Brief
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