HRW's Assessment is A Political Assessment

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's first year in office produced a mixed record on human rights that lacked major initiatives to tackle the worst abuses, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its latest report released today. HRW reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries in the 659-page World Report 2016, its 26th edition.
 
"Jokowi's first year as president was a missed opportunity to adopt urgently needed human rights measures," HRW deputy Asia director Phelim Kine said on Wednesday.

"But there is still time for him to adjust his policy priorities to actively protect human rights rather than turn a blind eye to serious abuses," he went on. HRW noted that Jokowi released some Papuan political prisoners in 2015 and announced a plan to address decades of gross human rights violations, including the massacre of up to 1 million people in 1965-1966.

However, the group said, Jokowi largely ignored security force impunity for rights abuses and violations of women's rights and religious freedom. "He also embraced the use of the death penalty for convicted drug traffickers, resulting in 14 executions in 2015, including a Brazilian citizen diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia," HRW said.

Citing rights group Setara Institute, HRW said 194 incidents of violent attacks on religious minorities had occurred in the first 11 months of 2015. They included the forced demolition by the Singkil regency, in the Aceh province, of nine Protestant churches in November, following the burning down of a church by militant Islamists on Oct.13, 2015.

The group praised Jokowi's policy to grant clemency to five of Papua's political prisoners in May 2015, followed by the release of Filep Karma, Indonesia's highest profile political prisoner, and in November. Approximately 45 Papuans and 29 Ambonese are still imprisoned for peaceful advocacy of independence, however.

"Despite Jokowi's pledge to thoroughly investigate and punish security forces implicated in the December 2014 deaths of five peaceful protesters in Papua's town of Enarotali, the government has failed to publicly release the results of three separate official investigations into the incident," said HRW, adding that Jokowi also failed to implement its promise to lift decades-old restrictions on foreign media access to Papua.

Citing the National Commission on Violence Against Women, HRW later criticized national and local governments, which passed 31 discriminatory regulations in 2015, leaving Indonesia with 322 discriminatory local regulations targeting women, ranging from compulsory hijab to tolerating polygamy. The government also failed to end the documented use of abusive and discriminatory "virginity tests" for female applicants to the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police.

"The Jokowi government's approach to human rights has been more rhetoric than reality, while serious rights abuses go unpunished," Kine said. "Jokowi can and should take strong actions to advance justice and curtail abuses in 2016."

Two years ago, HRW also critized that the Indonesian government, under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, should reverse its course and enforce laws protecting religious freedom, the New York-based non-governmental advocacy organization further said. "President Yudhoyono is all talk and no action when he faces government officials and militant groups who are intent on curbing the rights of women and religious minorities," HRW deputy Asia director Phelim Kine. "Unless Yudhoyono takes decisive action in the final months of his presidency, his legacy will be marred by his failure to defend the rights of all Indonesians," Kine added.

HRW's Assessment is A Political Assessment

As a pressure group and non state actor, Human Right Watch  (HRW) the New York-based non-governmental advocacy organization annually makes report on human rights violation in several countries, but HRW doesn't makes report on human rights violation which is done by the United States government along with their doing a job as "the world police".

For example, HRW doesn't care about the negative impact or human right abuse in Iraq, South Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Suriah, Yemen and another Moslem countries which their conflict could be arranged by United State and an allies.

Furthermore, we must be critized and have a deep question's such as what is a purposes of HRW, who are supported their money and what their ideology are.

Back to HRW reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries in the 659-page World Report 2016, its 26th edition, I think HRW's assessment or HRW's reviews can't be released from its interest.
Perhaps, HRW's interest to publish their reports on Indonesia human rights outlook is appreciated for the efforts of their colleagues or their comprador in Indonesia.

As we know, in Indonesia has a several human rights organization such as Setara Institute, Wahid Institute, KontraS, Imparsial, Ma'arif Institute etc which is lurking on the human rights abuse specially which is done by security, policy, attorney and local government apparatus.

Respond to 2016 HRW's reviews, violations of women's rights and religious freedom which is happened in Indonesia because these issue isn't a domestic or genuine issue which is come from Indonesia society.

HRW's assessment on religious freedem absolutely its doesn't true, because several countries has praised Indonesia which the country with the best religious freedom.

I think sectarian violence in some areas due to the maneuvers of a minority group to replace the faith of the majority in the name of religious and human rights freedom.

HRW must look the effort of Indonesia government the use of the death penalty for convicted drug traffickers as an effort to protect Indonesia society from drug threat. Escaping or erasing drug threat to our people's with a strict law enforcement must be understood by HRW, it has implemented to protect our human rights too.

Brazilian citizen drug traffickers who diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia is an executed too because his diagnosis is derived from health institutions in Brazil that it is possible to defend its citizens from death penalty.
    
Meanwhile, the issue of tolerating polygamy is a sensitive issue for Moslem in Indonesia. Actually if we are refusing polygamy due to we want to protect our woman from domestic violence, to appreciate woman dignity and promulgating woman rights.

The writer want to advise HRW so that these non-governmental advocacy organization which based in New York could be more precisely to collect data before their make an assessment so that their assessment is a decent it.

Yet, if HRW as a pressure group has hidden agenda from their review, we also understand it, eventhough they have aggravated a fair human rights for all of human kind without a political pretend.

Hopefully. If they are uncapable to do it, bye-bye HRW and HRW comprador in Indonesia.

*). The writer is an observer specially on human rights and religious issue.