Zunita Putri, Jakarta – The country’s peak religious body, the Indonesia Ulama Council (MUI), supports a program by Demak Regent Muhammad Natsir who issued a circular banning socialising in the lead up to Magrib and Isya evening prayers.

Rizki Febianto – Cross-Factory Labour Federation (FBLP) Chairperson Jumisih says that workers from various different sectors will continue to hold demonstrations if the government is truly determined to push through the ratification of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation.

At least 100 workers from the Jakarta Labour Movement (GBJ) held a rally in front of Post 9 in the North Jakarta port of Tanjung Priok on Thursday January 9.

The workers were opposing the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation which has now entered the final stage of deliberation.

Muhammad Ridwan – Amnesty International Indonesia has responded to a case involving an interfaith activist from West Sumatra, Sudarto, who has been charged with hate speech. Amnesty believes that Sudarto was in fact defending religious minorities’ right to worship.

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has revealed that a number of alleged violations of standard operating procedures or protap by police took place during the high-school and university student protests in September 2019.

Jakarta – 212 Alumni Brotherhood legal division head Damai Hari Lubis says that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo should immediately sack Defense Minister (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto.

Jakarta – The police have been cited as the principle actor in incidents of violence when land conflicts have broken out throughout 2019. These findings were based on an annual report by the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA). Some 279 agrarian conflicts occurred in 2019, although this number is lower than last year which saw 410 cases.

Agus Setyadi, Banda Aceh – Aceh’s religious leaders (ulama) believe that there is no need to build cinemas in Tanah Rencong – as Aceh is known – and that cinemas are not something which have any benefit.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – One of the lawyers representing six Papua activists being tried for treason, Annisa Rizky, says that her clients are being criminalised for excursing their freedom of expression.

Jakarta – Papuan activists Anes Dano Tabuni has insisted that he will wear a penis gourd (koteka) during court hearings on charges of treason and criminal conspiracy at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday January 6.

Jakarta – The Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) has recorded that over the last five years conflicts involving mining have occurred on land covering some 925,748 hectares, involving at least 71 cases.

Jakarta – The legal team representing Surya Anta Ginting and three other Papua defendants charged with treason and criminal conspiracy submitted a demurrer (eksepsi) or note of objection against the public prosecutor’s indictment during a hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday January 6.

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court (MK) has rejected a judicial review of Law Number 12/1969 on the Formation of the West Irian (Papua) Autonomous Province and Autonomous Regencies in the Province of West Irian which was submitted based on the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.

Isal Mawardi, Jakarta – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto invited veterans of the Seroja Operation in East Timor to his private residence in Hambalang on Wednesday. The invitation was to show his respect to the former fighters.

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Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Kurnia Ramadhana believes that 2019 was the year in which the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was destroyed. Ramadhana even said that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the House of Representatives (DPR) were the masterminds behind its destruction.

Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan became the target of subtle insinuations by Jakarta Archbishop Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo after he visited the Cathedral in Central Jakarta for Christmas evening mass on Tuesday December 24.

He insinuated that Baswedan “turned up all of a sudden” in the middle of the Christmas church mass.

Jakarta – The advocacy team representing Novel Baswedan is urging the police to immediately reveal the intellectual actor behind the acid attack on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) senior investigator two years ago. The call follows revelations that the perpetrators of the attack are two active police officers.

Jakarta – Members of the Yasmin Bogor Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) and the Filadelfia Bekasi Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP) were again forced to hold their Christmas services in front of the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta on Wednesday December 25.

Resky Novianto, Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – Throughout 2019, most of the violence against journalists in Indonesia was committed by police. This was revealed in the Alliance of Independent Journalists’ (AJI) 2019 End of Year Report which was released on Monday December 23.