"We come here to remind the government of its commitment to uphold human rights as it has ratified international human rights conventions.”
Source/Credit: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
By Margareth S. Aritonang | May 18, 2012
Frequent attacks against religious minorities across the country are being carried out in defiance of the Constitution and with the support of the state, German politicians and rights groups say.
On a visit to Jakarta, representatives of the German parliament’s Human Rights Committee, the country’s Human Rights Council and the United Evangelical Mission have expressed concerns over poor law enforcement against those perpetrating violence, turning Indonesian problems into an international issue.
The delegation said that as one of the 119 members of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Indonesia needs to put human rights norms into practice.
German politician Christoph Straesser said the February attacks against Ahmadiyah followers by Islamic hard-liners in Banten was a state-sponsored violation of human rights because police watched the violence and did nothing to protect the victims.
“We [have] learned that there is a significant gap between the national Constitution and practice, because what is guaranteed by law, in terms of human rights, doesn’t appear in reality,” said Straesser, a member of the opposition Social Democratic Party, after meeting with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Wednesday.
But he said it would be “arrogant” to tell the Indonesian government what to do. “We come here to remind the government of its commitment to uphold human rights as it has ratified international human rights conventions.”
He said the committee would propose that German Chancellor Angela Merkel seriously discuss the matter with the Indonesian government during her planned state visit in July.
“We will also ask our government to bring the matter up at all international meetings we have in order to press the Indonesian government to obey the UN’s regulations, while we also build partnerships with civil communities to empower Indonesian groups to struggle for freedom.”
Theodor Rathgeber of the Human Rights Council, who is also an observer for the UNHRC, said the current assessment on human rights in Indonesia has attracted the UNHRC’s attention.
“The council members are allowed to give recommendations to the Indonesian government in relation to the human rights situation. Issues on violence against Ahmadiyah and Christian followers, as well as workers in the palm oil industry will definitely be discussed during the review,” he said, adding that the UNHRC will review the country’s human rights record next week.
“Even though the council has no procedure to enforce punishment to members with poor human rights records, nevertheless, a poor review will taint Indonesia’s image at the international level, which will gradually affect the country’s bilateral and multilateral partnerships.”
Komnas HAM had previously announced that Indonesia’s membership, and leadership, of international organizations were at risk over “escalating” attacks on freedom that were driven by political and economic interests, and were accommodated by poor law enforcement.
“Politicians know very well that religious issues are very sensitive here, and thus manipulate them to win support from certain groups,” commissioner Johny Nelson Simanjuntak said, adding a legal foundation to specifically guarantee religious freedom is needed.
Read original post here: German groups decry RI-sponsored rights abuses
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