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View all search resultsGovernment to vet human rights activists through ‘assessor team’
The government is preparing a mechanism to determine who qualifies as a human rights activist, as part of efforts to ensure legal protections are granted only to legitimate defenders, says Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai.
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Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai delivers his presentation during a meeting with House of Representatives Commission XIII overseeing human rights affairs at the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta on Feb. 5, 2025. Among issues discussed during the meeting were the plan to grant amnesty for around 44,000 prisoners and the protection for Indonesian citizens and migrant workers abroad. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
T
he government is preparing a mechanism to determine who qualifies as a human rights activist, as part of efforts to ensure legal protections are granted only to legitimate defenders, says Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai.
His ministry is forming an “assessor team” to evaluate whether individuals meet the criteria for human rights defenders, noting that the assessment would be based on strict criteria focusing on an individual’s actions rather than self-declared status.
Each case, Pigai went on to say, would be reviewed individually to ensure decisions are made based on specific circumstances rather than broad categorizations.
Under the plan, legal protections would only be extended to those defending public interests, including vulnerable or marginalized groups, without personal or commercial motives.
“It is possible that someone known as a human rights activist, at a certain moment, may be found by the assessor team to be acting for payment. In such cases, they cannot be considered a human rights activist,” Pigai said in an interview with state news agency Antara on Wednesday.
Read also: Human rights hit new low in Indonesia: Amnesty
To ensure objectivity, the minister said the assessor team would comprise members from multiple sectors, including the government, civil society and law enforcement agencies.
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