Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) says that 2,087 out of 4,258 hotspots recroded between January and July were located on concession land. Concession land is land for which the government has given land use rights or permits to companies or other agencies.

Irsyan Hasyim, Depok – The Depok City government along with the Depok Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) are discussing a draft regional regulation (raperda) against Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people. But the policy has attracted protests from a number of groups including human rights and health organisations.

Irsyan Hasyim, Depok – The Depok Love Society has questioned the urgency of planned deliberations on an Anti-Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Draft Regional Regulation or Raperda Anti-LGBT by the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) which was proposed by the Depok municipal government (pemkot).

Siti Sadida Hafsyah, Jakarta – Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) researcher Cahyo Pamungkas says that the Trans Papua Highway has yet to bring any benefits to the Papuan people.

The Oxford City Council in Britain has awarded United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) chairperson Benny Wenda the Honorary Freedom of the City accolade for his fight for West Papuan self-determination. The Indonesian government has slammed the award.

Jakarta – The lawyer representing senior Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan, Arif Maulana, believes that the Joint Fact Finding Team (TPGF) established by Indonesian police (Polri) chief General Tito Karnavian has totally failed to properly investigate the 2017 acid attack against his client.

Jakarta – The Anti-Corruption Social Coalition says that it is pessimistic about the police’s effort to uncover the perpetrator behind the 2017 acid attack against senior Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan.

Jakarta – President elect President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appeared dashing and bold as he addressed the issue of investment in his Indonesia Vision speech in Sentul, West Java, on Sunday July 14. He said he would “stand by and defend” investors and claimed he will pursue and soundly thrash anyone who obstructs investment.

Jakarta – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s first speech as president elect for the period 2019-2024 contained several words which were seen as tough. The potential for authoritarianism in the next administration was also apparent in his speech titled Indonesia Vision.

Mukhlis Dinillah, Bandung – The West Java Ministry of Justice and Human Rights representative office (Kemenkum HAM Jabar) is proposing a special way to handle inmates who have a deviant sexual orientation. Inmates who practice homosexually and lesbianism will be moved to separate cells.

Mukhlis Dinillah, Bandung – The West Java Ministry of Justice and Human Rights representative office has found signs of deviant sex being committed by inmates at a number of correctional institutions and prisons as a result of overcrowding.

Denpasar – A commemoration of 21 years since the “Bloody Biak Tragedy” in West Papua by the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) in the Balinese provincial capital of Denpasar on Saturday July 6 has ended in chaos.

A demonstration by Papuan students in Bali commemorating 21 years since the “Bloody Biak Incident” was forcibly broken up by Tanjung Bungkak Village Balinese traditional security guards and police on Saturday July 6.

Jakarta – The Acehnese Regional House of Representatives (DPRA) is justifying a plan by the Aceh government to legalise polygamy on the grounds that it will save women and children who have fallen victim to nikah siri (common law marriage recognised by Islam).

Jakarta – Perempuan Mahardika (Free Women), a non-government organisation (NOG) working to protect women, is calling on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to give amnesty to Baiq Nuril after the Supreme Court rejected her appeal yesterday.

Jakarta – The Denny JA Indonesia Survey Circle (LSI) predicts that the presidential elections (pilpres) in 2024 will be enlivened by a contest between four different ideologies, namely reformasi, political Islam, the 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945) and human rights (HAM).

Glery Lazuardi, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition is calling on the government to postpone the ratification of the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) because it still contains articles on insulting religion and blasphemy which are open to multiple interpretations and are applied in a discriminative way.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) is urging the state to carry out a substantive internal reform of the National Police (Polri). This is because according to data gathered by the YLBHI and the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) there were 115 cases of police negligence in handling problems with civilians.

Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – The government has completed the next year’s draft budget for ministries and state institutions. The budget is set out in the government’s 2020 Macroeconomic Projection and Draft Fiscal Policy (KEM-PPKF) document which was released by the Ministry of Finance in May.

As the 2014-2019 term was coming to an end, the House of Representatives (DPR) were persistently trying to pass through a variety of draft legal revisions.