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Get your act together on human rights issues, Jokowi tells police
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo greets members of NGOs and human rights activists at an event to mark International Human Rights Day at the State Palace on Friday
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo greets members of NGOs and human rights activists at an event to mark International Human Rights Day at the State Palace on Friday. (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma) (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
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span class="inline inline-center">President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo greets members of NGOs and human rights activists at an event to mark International Human Rights Day at the State Palace on Friday. (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has ordered the National Police to make improvements after it was listed by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) as the institution with the most human rights violations.
Jokowi acknowledged that the public had made the most complaint reports against the police with regard to human rights violations.
"The National Police chief [Gen. Badrodin] is present today. It takes real effort to revamp the police, to create a perspective of human rights," he said during his speech at the 2015 International Human Rights Day event at the State Palace.
The public need police to provide security and an approach respectful of human rights must also be a priority, Jokowi emphasized.
The chief of the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM), Nurcholis, said during his speech that the commission received 6,000 reports from the public each year.
"In the past 5 years, the police have been the most reported institution, followed by corporations, regional administration, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and judiciary institution," he said.
Reports of human rights violations made against the police are due to the police having held strong authority after the 1998 reform, Nurcholis said. Along with the shift came complaints from the public.
The public also made a considerable number of reports against corporations operating in the mining and plantation sectors, added Nurcholis.
He urged the government to play an active role in settling human rights violations within the society.
Kontras publicized its report naming on Thursday, naming the National Police as having committed the highest number of human rights violations this year.
Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said, based on the report, there had been at least 238 human rights related violations across the country. From that figure, 85 violations had been committed by the police.
Alleged violations include the forced dissolution of actions or events, apprehension, persecution and the prohibition of reportage, added Haris.
International Human Rights Day is celebrated on Dec. 10 worldwide. (rin)(+)
