Samsudhuha Wildansyah, Jakarta – Indonesian military (TNI) chief General Gatot Nurmantyo and Education and Culture Minister (Mendikbud) Muhadjir Effendy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Expanding and Improving the Quality of Education and Culture Services.

Rinaldy Sofwan, Jakarta – Philosopher and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Noam Chomsky and a group of international academics are calling on the Indonesian government to withdraw all troops from West Papua following allegations of human rights violations against civilians by security forces in the province.

Abraham Utama – The Indonesian Military (TNI) says that it will not changes its policies or views on the September 30 Movement (G30S) in 1965 regardless of the release of 39 secret US documents that have been opened to the public and “reveal a number of new facts”.

Satya Adhi – An event held to discuss human rights violations that occurred in 1965-1966 has again been closed down by government officials. This time it was an evaluation and planning workshop on human rights violations in 1965-1966 held by the International People’s Tribunal (IPT ‘65) in Klender, East Jakarta, on Tuesday August 1.

The following is a joint statement by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and 15 Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) offices across Indonesia on the recently enacted Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 2/2017 on Social Organisations.

On Monday May 8, Coordinating Minister for Politics, Security and Legal Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Wiranto, Justice and Human Rights Minister (Menkumham) Yasonna Laoly, Home Affairs Minister (Mendagri) Tjahjo Kumolo and National Police Chief (Kapolri) General Tito Karnavia issued a statement at the security affairs ministry on the dissolution of th

Melki Pangaribuan, Jakarta – Through an unpretentious press conference at the offices of the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) in Jakarta on Thursday November 29, the Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-West Papua) declared its support for self-determination for the people of Papua, which they refer to as the West Papuan nation.

Silvanus Alvin, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi attended a fast breaking event with TNI (Indonesian military) officers at the TNI’s headquarters in Cilangkap, Jakarta, where he took the opportunity to reaffirm that he will not apologies to former members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Ahmad Mustaqim, Yogyakarta – Pro-democracy activists in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta have called for a campaign against militarism during a commemoration of 18 years since the fall of former President Suharto’s New Order dictatorship.

Jakarta, Indonesia – The government sponsored national symposium on 1965 was held in April although reverberations over the forum, which for the first time brought together victims and perpetrators of the bloody 1965 tragedy, are still being felt to this day.

Jakarta – Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace chairperson Hendardi believes that the recent spate of propaganda about the rise of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), which is being linked to activities such as film screenings, discussions and book publications, is in fact aimed at creating a negative influence on government efforts to res

Jakarta – A people’s conference titled Fighting Criminalisation and Wining Democracy (Lawan Kriminalisasi dan Rebut Demokrasi) was held at the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) offices in Central Jakarta on April 9.

Shinta Maharani, Jakarta – Hundreds of pro-democracy activists were threatened and intimidated by intolerant groups when they held a peaceful protest action at a square alongside the McDonalds fast-food restaurant near the Tugu Monument in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Tuesday February 23.

Jakarta – As many as 23 workers, a student and two Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) officials have been named suspects in relation to an October 30, 2015 action that ended with police attacking workers. Despite the assaults, the Metro Jaya regional police are instead charging the workers and activists as provocateurs.

Hari Tri Wasono, Blitar – Thousands of members of the Islamic mass organisation Nahdlatul Ulama’s (NU) paramilitary youth wing Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser) demonstrated in front of the Blitar regent’s office in East Java on Wednesday September 30 to commemorate the bloody September 30, 1965 affair

An East Java court sentenced 70-year old Asyani to 15 months probation and a US$40,000 fine for stealing seven pieces of wood belonging to state company PT Perhutani. Asyani insists she took the wood from her own land years ago but lacked the proper documentation.

Addi Mawahibun Idhom, Yogyakarta – The rector of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta, Dwikorita Karnawati, is protesting the forced cancelation of a screening of Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence (Senyap) that was being held by the Sintesa Student Press Institutive (LPM) at the university’s School

Two thousand protesters from 160 civil society organisations that make up the People’s Sovereignty Movement (GRB) demonstrated at the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on Wednesday October 14 in protest against the political elite’s about face and efforts to return to the New Order era of former president Suharto.

Jakarta – The Draft Law on Regional Elections (RUU Pilkada), which abolishes the direct election of regional heads and was successfully enacted into law (UU Pilkada) by the parties backing Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Coalition (KMP) is a threat to democracy.

Kartika Virgianti, Jakarta – One hundred and thirty-two civil society and non-government organisations (NGOs) have expressed their concern over Indonesian democracy which will soon return to the era of the New Order dictatorship.