TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Indonesia's human rights law enforcement not optimal: Komnas Ham
Local human rights law enforcement is not optimal, with law enforcers acting only in the name of security and public order, a report released by the National Commision on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) states
Change Size
L
ocal human rights law enforcement is not optimal, with law enforcers acting only in the name of security and public order, a report released by the National Commision on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) states.
The commission's quarterly report on religious tolerance says that law enforcers are half-hearted in their commitment to protecting human rights as their measures against intolerance are only for public disorder prevention.
"They are relatively responsive in dealing with such violations, but their moves are not aimed specifically at protecting religious minority groups against rights abuses," Komnas HAM commisioner M. Imdadun Rahmat said during a press conference on Friday in Jakarta.
Imdadun was referring to a recent case of religious intolerance against the Ahmadiyah minority group.
The case emerged after dozens of people stopped Ahmadis from praying at their own mosque in South Jakarta. The Ahmadis were forced to instead pray on the street in front of the mosque.
'Police officers were quite responsive in handling the case by directly meeting the local preacher leading the protest and reminding the group of its actions, but this action was only aimed at preventing a security disturbance," Imdadun said.
With such action, he said, the police had failed to uphold the rights of Ahmadis as they did not bring the perpetrators to justice.
"There was no legal measures taken against those who destroyed the gate of the mosque," Imdadun said.
In its previous report, Komnas HAM said that even though the country had regulations to promote religious tolerance, they were ineffective or weakly enforced. The commission has demanded the government properly enforce prevailing laws on religious tolerance. (alm/ika)(++++)
