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.
Rights advocates need more protection after raid: Activists
Threats, intimidation and attacks on human rights defenders, especially women, have occurred far too often and should no longer be seen as the norm, a rights group has said, calling for more measures to end the violence
Change Size
T
span>Threats, intimidation and attacks on human rights defenders, especially women, have occurred far too often and should no longer be seen as the norm, a rights group has said, calling for more measures to end the violence.
The recent raid conducted on the office of the Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women’s Association for Justice (LBH APIK) by a group of men, which included police personnel, has raised alarms about the lack of protection for the country’s activists.
On Feb. 3, dozens of people forcibly entered and threatened to damage the LBH APIK office in East Jakarta. Four of them claimed to be members of the Matraman Police, though none were wearing uniforms nor produced a warrant. One man started a video call with someone from the National Police — or so he claimed.
The man who led the group, AA, accused the LBH APIK of abducting and hiding his 21-year-old daughter, DW.
The foundation confirmed that DW had come to the LBH APIK office on Jan. 30 asking for legal assistance. She told LBH APIK counselors that she had left her parents’ home a week before because of their violent behavior toward her, especially during arguments about her boyfriend.
She added that on Feb. 1 a police officer named TR had looked for her at her boyfriend’s house in Matraman. TR later called her and asked for a meetup, to which DW agreed but stipulated that they do so at the LBH APIK office on Feb. 3. During their meeting, DW said she explained to him her reasons for running away and gave him a letter to pass on to her parents.
After TR left, the LBH APIK staff asked DW to leave. Half an hour later, TR returned with another alleged policeman, PR, accusing LBH APIK of hiding DW and asked to search its premises. The LBH APIK staff resisted and the two men left.
“Not long after, AA arrived with a bunch of men, including two more policemen in addition to TR and PR. They forced their way into our office to search for DW,” RR Sri Agustini, a lawyer for LBH APIK, said on Wednesday.
LBH APIK reported the incident to the East Jakarta Police on Feb. 7. They also reported the four Matraman policemen for maladministration as well as intimidation and coercion.
According to Amnesty International Indonesia director Usman Hamid, the raid reflected the state’s weak protection of both activists and victims of violence.
“The police as representatives of the state have failed to provide safety to human rights defenders, especially women,” he said, adding that the Matraman Police should have facilitated the work of LBH APIK by discussing the matter of domestic violence instead of letting the raid happen and supporting the intimidation tactics of abusers.
“The recent event shows that the government only victimizes the victims again,” Usman said.
Not only do such raids leave a psychological effect on activists, but they also discourage the victims of violence, especially women, from speaking up and filing a report against their abuser, he added.
“These foundations [LBH APIK] are trusted by victims. If the victims see that these foundations are also vulnerable to violence, they will hesitate to seek help,” said women’s activist Tunggal Pawestri.
Ratna Batara Munti from LBH APIK added: “It’s not exaggerating at all to say that it’s time to have a law protecting human rights defenders.”
Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid (YLBHI) deputy director Era Purnamasari emphasized that detailed regulations were needed to protect female rights activists because of the very specific threats they face.
“For us, the threat often comes in the form of sexual harassment, threats of rape and character assassination,” she said, adding she herself had received threats of defamation when she was working on a land dispute case in Jambi.
Ratna said attacks on female rights activists were so common that it had become a cycle.
“We are attacked, traumatized, healed, then attacked again and the cycle goes on. We need a policy to stop this cycle.”
She added that activists at 16 LBH APIK offices throughout Indonesia have faced various forms of abuse, from social media bullying and terrorizing phone calls to physical attacks and threats of being cursed. She believes this happens to many other rights groups all over the country.
LBH APIK has yet to receive further information regarding their report after two weeks.
Adj. Sr. Comr. Hery Purnomo, the East Jakarta Police’s criminal investigation department head, said on Thursday that his team was still collecting statements from witnesses. (aly)
