“There is nothing about the perpetrators of assault against religious minority groups and those of different sexual orientation. Most of people who attacked members of minority groups like the Ahmadis in Cikeusik, West Java, could walk free.”
 |
| HRWG executive director Rafendi Djamin |
Source/Credit: The Jakarta Post
By Margareth S. Aritonang | May 21, 2012
Rights group have urged the Indonesian government not to deny the true state of the country’s human rights record when it presents a report before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) later this week.
The Indonesian delegation, comprising government officials and representatives of a number of rights groups, is scheduled to present a report on the condition of the country’s human rights at the UNHRC’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 23.
“Of course, there is progress, but we also have to admit that Indonesia has seen major threats against religious minorities and people of different sexual orientation. I believe that the international community has also witnessed this and for this reason, we challenge the government to acknowledge this at the forum because we have not seen this in the report submitted to the UNHRC,” Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) executive director Rafendi Djamin said over the weekend.
HRWG deputy director Choirul Anam said that the government’s written report gave no specifics on a number cases of human rights abuses.
“There is nothing about the perpetrators of assault against religious minority groups and those of different sexual orientation. Most of people who attacked members of minority groups like the Ahmadis in Cikeusik, West Java, could walk free,” he said.
The group also alleged that the government attempted to mislead the international community on human rights issues.
In the report, the Indonesian government claims that it is looking for a solution to the Ahmadi problem.
The government claims that Law No. 1/PNPS/1965 does not prohibit Ahmadis from professing and practicing their beliefs but protects them in perform their activities as it only regulates religious proselytization.”
The report also cites the 2008 joint ministerial decree on the Ahmadiyah as a legal foundation to prevent violence against minority groups, including the Ahmadiyah.
In its recommendation, HRWG and other rights groups said the regulation served as a means to limit the rights of minority groups.
“We therefore endorse any efforts to revoke these regulations as they have been used to legitimize violence against minority groups,” said Choirul.
The groups also endorsed a resolution to review the murder case of rights activist Munir Said Thalib, as well as the alleged involvement of former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy chief Muchdi Purwopranjono in the plot.
Separately, the Foreign Ministry said the government would give a comprehensive report during the meeting.
The ministry’s director for human rights and humanitarian affairs Muhammad Anshor told The Jakarta Post that the government would also give details on a number of challenges, including the GKI Yasmin saga.
“We will present all the developments in terms of laws and institutions. The country has achieved a lot since 2008. But we also have to admit that tolerance is still a problem. We keep working to find solutions. We have yet to meet all the recommendations made by the UNHRC in 2008,” he said.
The Foreign Ministry is in charge of making the report, including compiling reports from relevant ministries and agencies at local and national levels.
Read original post here: RI must tell the truth at Geneva rights summit: HRWG
This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Ahmadiyya Times.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments. Any comments irrelevant to the post's subject matter, containing abuses, and/or vulgar language will not be approved.