Indonesia: Religious freedom under attack as Shi'a villagers face eviction

The displaced Shi'a community has been living in a sports hall in Sampang since August 2012

© AFP/Getty Images

The threatened forced relocation of a Shi'a community living in temporary shelter in East Java is yet more evidence of the continuing discrimination against religious minorities in Indonesia, said Amnesty International.

“The Indonesian authorities must guarantee the safe, voluntary and dignified return of the Shi’a community to their homes, according to their wishes, and help them to rebuild the homes that were damaged or destroyed.”

Isabelle Arradon of Amnesty International's Asia Pacific programme

Tue, 15/01/2013

An estimated 165 Shi'as, including 48 children, have been living in inadequate conditions at a sports complex in Sampang district on Madura Island since August 2012 when they were displaced after their village was attacked by a mob.

Credible local sources told Amnesty International that the authorities have given the villagers until March to convert to Indonesia’s majority religion Sunni Islam if they wish to return to their homes.

"The Indonesian authorities must guarantee the safe, voluntary and dignified return of the Shi’a community to their homes, according to their wishes, and help them to rebuild the homes that were damaged or destroyed," said Isabelle Arradon of Amnesty International's Asia Pacific programme.

"They must also end discrimination against religious minorities in the country and investigate reports that the local and provincial authorities are coercing Shi’a followers to renounce their faith before they are allowed to return to their homes."

"Those involved in the attack on the Shi’a community in August must also be brought to justice in proceedings which meet international standards of fairness, without the imposition of the death penalty."

Conditions in the displaced Shi'a community's temporary shelter have continued to deteriorate.

Since 1 January the East Java provincial police have withdrawn the officers who had been protecting the community.

In late December, the local authorities halted food supplies and medical services. They had previously cut off food supplies on 22 November which had resumed on 4 December. Some of the children in the shelter have fallen sick over the last few weeks.

"The Indonesian authorities must ensure that the community is granted immediate access to essential services such as food and health services. In particular, more needs to be done to ensure that children who are currently unwell get access to adequate medical care," said Isabelle Arradon

The community, from Karang Gayam village in the Sampang district, were displaced in August 2012 when an anti-Shi’a mob of around 500 people attacked the community with sharp weapons and stones.

One person was killed and dozens were injured. The mob also set fire to 35 houses belonging to the Shi’a community. Five people have so far been charged with the attack.

In May 2012, during its Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council, the Indonesian government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the protection of freedom of religion and to address cases of religious intolerance.

However religious minority groups in Indonesia, including Shi’a, Ahmadiyya and Christian communities, still face harassment, intimidation and attacks. Those who commit acts of violence against religious minorities are rarely punished and communities have been displaced by attacks.

In a similar case, in Lombok, East Nusa Tenggara province, an Ahmadiyya community have been living for six years in inadequate housing after their homes were attacked and burnt by a mob in February 2006. The authorities have failed to resolve their situation or bring those responsible to justice.

The right to freedom of religion or belief is guaranteed in Article 18(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a state party.

 

Source: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/

West Papua, Eastern Indonesia: Sweeping Wamena

By Elizabeth Kendal
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) 181 Special to ASSIST News Service 

Elizabeth Kendal

AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- The Dutch first brought the gospel to Dutch (West) New Guinea, along with health care and education, gradually transforming the coastal towns. When Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) USA arrived in the mid-1900s, the previously inaccessible interior was opened to pioneer missionaries, several of whom lost their lives in the service of the gospel. In a relatively short space of time (in history), endless tribal war and shamanism came to be replaced with worship of the Lord -- Papua was transformed.
When Indonesia gained independence in 1949, the Dutch retained control of Irian Jaya believing the Melanesian Christians were simply too distinct from Javanese Muslims to be under Indonesian rule. Indonesia, however, invaded the resource-rich region in 1961 and, with the complicity of the UN and USA, annexed it in 1969. Ever since, Papua's Melanesian Christians have suffered while their spectacular land has been militarised, exploited, colonised and Islamised.
This is the slow genocide of a Christian people. The West ignores this, deeming good relations with Indonesia to be more in line with Western economic and geo-strategic interests. Surely God is not pleased.

West Papua National Committee (KNPB) is a pro-independence advocacy group committed to peaceful activism. Because 'Special Autonomy' has failed, the KNPB is calling for the UN to oversee a referendum on self-determination. In early June Indonesian soldiers rampaged though the KNPB stronghold of Wamena, the largest town in the central highlands. (PHOTOS) Then on 14 June Indonesian police shot KNPB deputy, Moses Mako Tabuni, in a Jayapura street. Shot in the hip, he died in police custody en route to hospital. Police allege Tabuni was 'resisting arrest', but human rights groups doubt this and local witnesses deny it. UK-based Papuan activist Benny Wenda has labelled it an 'assassination'.

On 29 September, after a couple of minor bombing incidents, Indonesian authorities launched a sweep through Wamena and its surrounding villages. They claim they found explosive materials in the homes of KNPB members, nine of whom have been arrested. Papua is a deeply Christianised culture and many Papuan civic leaders are also church leaders. One such leader, the Moderator of the Papuan Baptist Church, Reverend Socratez Sofyan Yoman, is certain the bombings were the work of Indonesian security forces who are now using them to justify launching anti-terror operations against peaceful, pro-independence activists. Human rights monitors agree with that assessment. The director of the Papua branch of Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (Elsham), Ferry Marisan, comments: 'We observed their [KNPB's] activities in Papua . . . they never staged violent acts, let alone kept firearms or explosives.' Actually, the activities attributed to the Indonesian security forces are their all-too-familiar modus operandi. Driven by racial and religious hatred and greed, the Indonesian security forces (who make a lot of money in Papua) routinely provoke or fake Papuan separatist incidents to justify launching vastly disproportionate, violent anti-terror measures against the separatists.

Indonesian police, the Australian-trained anti-terrorism squad Detachment 88 and the TNI (Indonesian military) have been sweeping Wamena and surrounding villages, forcing thousands of Papuans to flee into the bush. On 10 October one pastor, who hopes his presence with the displaced will provide them with a degree of protection and a means of communication, made an urgent appeal for prayer. Mass rallies protesting Indonesian repression and human rights abuses will be held across Papua on Wednesday 24 October.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --

• intervene for his displaced and traumatised people; may he in indignation fight for them and compensate them, and in love gather, lead, carry and comfort them.
  
  'Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.' (Isaiah 40:10,11 ESV)
  
• magnify, sharpen and empower the voices of Papuan church leaders who risk their lives to speak out against cruelty and injustice; may their words not only enter ears and be heard, but pierce consciences and compel action.
  
• effect a breakthrough to prevent genocide and restore the dignity of his people, that the LORD might be praised and glorified in Papua.

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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SWEEPING WAMENA (PAPUA, EASTERN INDONESIA)
Papua's Melanesian Christians suffer under Indonesian rule as their land is militarised, exploited, colonised and Islamised by Javanese Muslims. This is the slow genocide of a Christian people. Driven by racial and religious hatred and greed, Indonesian security forces routinely provoke or fake Papuan separatist attacks to justify launching violent anti-terror measures against Papuan civilians. Since June, Indonesian security forces (including Detachment 88) have been 'sweeping' Wamena, the largest town in the central highlands, on the pretext of fighting terrorism. Thousands of Papuan civilians have been driven from their homes into the inhospitable jungle. Nine members of the pro-peace, pro-independence advocacy group, the West Papua National Committee, have been framed as 'terrorists'. Church leaders are appealing for help, and especially for prayer.

More....
For more information on Papua see: Religious Liberty Monitoring / Papua

Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. This prayer bulletin was initially written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (AEA RLC).

Elizabeth Kendal's blogs:
Religious Liberty Monitoring and Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin  

HRW: World Report 2012, Indonesia

Here: World Repor Indonesia - Human Rights Wacth (HRW) - PDF File

Events of 2011

Over the past 13 years Indonesia has made great strides in becoming a stable, democratic country with a strong civil society and independent media. However, serious human rights concerns remain. While senior officials pay lip service to protecting human rights, they seem unwilling to take the steps necessary to ensure compliance by the security forces with international human rights and punishment for those responsible for abuses.
In 2011 religious violence surged, particularly against Christians and Ahmadiyah, a group that considers itself Muslim but that some Muslims consider heretical. Violence continued to rack Papua and West Papua provinces, with few effective police investigations to hold perpetrators accountable.

Freedom of Expression

While Indonesia today has a vibrant media, authorities continue to invoke harsh laws criminalizing those who raise controversial issues, chilling peaceful expression. Indonesia has imprisoned more than 100 activists from the Moluccas and Papua for peacefully voicing political views, holding demonstrations, and raising separatist flags.
The new Law on State Intelligence passed in October, contains vague and overbroad language that could facilitate abuse. For instance, anyone who even negligently leaks confidential information about intelligence activities is subject to imprisonment, raising fears the law could be used to prosecute journalists, political opposition members, or human rights activists who publish information in the public interest about government abuses.
Indonesia's criminal libel, slander, and "insult" laws prohibit deliberately "insulting" public officials and intentionally publicizing statements that harm another person's reputation. In July the Supreme Court overturned an acquittal of Prita Mulyasari, who complained of poor medical treatment over emails to friends, and convicted her on internet defamation charges. Despite acquitting Mulyasari in a related civil case, the Supreme Court sentenced her to a six-month suspended sentence.

Military Reform and Impunity

Impunity for members of Indonesia’s security forces remains a serious concern, with no civilian jurisdiction over soldiers who commit serious human rights abuses. Military tribunals are held rarely, lack transparency, and the charges frequently fail to reflect the seriousness of the abuses committed.
In January a military tribunal in Jayapura, Papua, convicted three soldiers from Battalion 753 and sentenced them to between eight to twelve months imprisonment. Despite video evidence of six soldiers involved in brutally torturing two Papuans, the tribunal tried only three of the six soldiers, and on lesser military discipline charges rather than for torture. The soldiers have not been discharged.
In August the Jayapura military tribunal convicted three soldiers from the same battalion regarding an incident in which soldiers shot and killed Reverend Kinderman Gire on the suspicion he was a separatist. Again, the tribunal only convicted them of "disobeying orders," and sentenced them to six, seven, and fifteen months in prison respectively.
In June President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed his brother-in-law Lt.-Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo as the new army chief. Pramono commanded a Kopassus team that was deployed to East Timor in 1999. During that time, in the run up to a referendum on independence, pro-Indonesia militias or security forces killed more than 1,000 civilians.
The armed forces retain extensive business holdings despite a law requiring the government to shut down these businesses or take them over by October 2009.

Freedom of Religion

In 2011 incidents of religious violence got more deadly and more frequent, as Islamist militants mobilized mobs to attack religious minorities with impunity; short prison terms for a handful of offenders did nothing to dissuade mob violence. The government failed to overturn several decrees that discriminate between religions and foster intolerance.  According to the Setara Institute, which monitors religious freedom, there were 216 cases of religious attacks in 2010 and 184 cases in the first nine months of 2011.
In February more than 1,500 Islamist militants attacked a house in Cikeusik, western Java, killing three and seriously wounding five Ahmadiyah men. The incident was caught on film. Public outrage generated around the case prompted the authorities to act quickly in investigating the attack. In July the Serang district court sentenced 12 men to between three and six months imprisonment for disturbing public order, incitement, and assault, but not for manslaughter. Police and prosecutors failed to present a fully compelling case against the 12 defendants. Police did not conduct thorough investigations, and prosecutors did not call key eyewitnesses to the attack. The prosecutors also sought reduced sentences, contending that the Ahmadiyah provoked the attack.
In August the Serang court convicted one of the Ahmadiyah members seriously injured in the attack, Deden Sudjana, for assault and disobeying police orders, sentencing him to six months imprisonment.
In 2011 Islamist mobs attacked Ahmadiyah communities and mosques in various places, including West Java, Banten, and South Sulawesi. In August in Makassar, South Sulawesi, a lawyer who represented the Ahmadiyah was assaulted.
In April an Islamist suicide bomber attacked a police mosque in Cirebon, West Java, killing himself and injuring at least 28 people. The bomber had previously been involved in violent protests over a blasphemy trial and an anti-Ahmadiyah attack in Cirebon in 2010. In September another Islamist suicide bomber attacked a church in Solo, Central Java, killing himself and wounding 14 churchgoers.
In February Islamists also attacked three churches in Temanggung, Central Java, after the district court convicted controversial preacher Antonius Bawareng of blasphemy. The court sentenced him to five years in jail, the maximum penalty for blasphemy, but Islamists called for him to be executed. The Semarang district court later convicted eight of the Islamists involved in the attack, sentencing them to between five months and one year imprisonment.
Minority congregations reported that local government officials arbitrarily refused to issue them permits required, under a 2006 decree, for building houses of worship. Those who attempted to worship without a permit faced harassment and violence.
In January the Supreme Court ordered the reopening of a Presbyterian church known locally as GKI Yasmin, overturning the Bogor administration’s ruling which had revoked the church’s building permit. However, Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto refused to comply. Government ministers offered the church “relocation.” In October an Islamist organization began to harass churchgoers who were holding Sunday services on a sidewalk outside the sealed church.
Senior government officials—including Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali, Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi, and Minister of Human Rights and Law Patrialis Akbar—continued to justify restrictions on religious freedom in the name of public order.

Papua/West Papua

In August internal military documents—mainly from Kopassus, Indonesia’s special forces—were made public, exposing how the Indonesian military monitors peaceful activists, politicians, and religious clergy in Papua. The documents show the deep military paranoia in Papua that conflates peaceful political expression with criminal activity. Several of those named in the documents as targets have faced arrest, imprisonment, harassment, or other forms of violence.
Access to Papua in 2011 remained tightly controlled. Few foreign journalists and human rights researchers can visit independently without close monitoring of their activities. Since October the vice president’s office has set up the Unit to Accelerate Development in Papua and West Papua, which is focused on economic development. Its board members include some veterans of peace talk over Aceh.
In July over 500 representatives of Papuan civil society met at a peace conference in Jayapura, organized by a government-funded peace-initiative network.
Violence in Papua worsened in July and August with several unrelated attacks in which more than two dozen people were killed or seriously injured. Seventeen people were killed in Puncak Jaya in July when two rival political camps clashed in an election dispute.
In Puncak Jaya there has been a long insurgency between the Free Papua Organization (OPM) and the Indonesian military. The OPM commander in Puncak Jaya claimed responsibility for several attacks against the Indonesian military in July, including one in which an Indonesian military chopper was shot down, injuring seven soldiers and killing one.
In October security forces used excessive violence when arresting more than 300 Papuans involved in a three-day Papuan Congress. At least three men were killed and more than 90 were injured. Six Papuan leaders were charged with treason.

Aceh

Aceh's provincial government continued to implement a repressive Sharia-inspired dress code with disregard for women’s agency and a law on "seclusion," banning association between unmarried men and women in "isolated" places. The provisions are enforced primarily through a Sharia police force that harasses, intimidates, and arbitrarily arrests and detains children, women, and men. Local community groups also forcibly enter homes and assault and publicly humiliate couples they suspect are committing "seclusion." Police make little effort to deter and prosecute such assaults. In April two couples were publicly caned under the “seclusion” law.
At this writing it was unclear what effect a decision by Partai Aceh, the main party of the former rebels, to boycott December 2011 local elections would have. The party claimed that Jakarta-sponsored election regulations were not in line with the 2005 Helsinki peace agreement that ended the decades-long conflict in Aceh.

Migrant Domestic Workers

Migrant domestic workers continue to face abuses both during the recruitment process in Indonesia and while employed abroad. The government has failed to stop local recruiters from charging prospective migrants exorbitant fees that leave them highly indebted, which contributes to situations of forced labor abroad.
In May Indonesia and Malaysia signed a new Memorandum of Understanding on Indonesian domestic workers traveling to Malaysia. The revised agreement includes some improved benefits for migrant domestic workers, allowing them to keep their passports instead of having to surrender them to their employers, and guarantees them a weekly day off. But the agreement does not set a minimum wage, as Indonesia had wanted, and perpetuates recruitment fee structures that leave workers indebted.
In June the Saudi government executed Ruyati binti Sapubi, a 54-year-old domestic worker from western Java. She was convicted of murdering her Saudi employer, who she claimed was abusing her.

Child Domestic Workers

Hundreds of thousands of girls in Indonesia are employed as domestic workers. Many work long hours, with no day off, and are forbidden from leaving the house where they work. In the worst cases, girls are physically, psychologically, and sexually abused by their employers. Despite supporting the landmark International Labour Organization convention in June that extended key labor protections to domestic workers, Indonesia's domestic laws exclude all domestic workers from the basic labor rights afforded to formal workers. A domestic workers law that was introduced in 2010 has since stalled in parliament.

Key International Actors

Indonesia assumed the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) in 2011, holding an ASEAN summit in Jakarta in May and Bali in November. In May Indonesia committed to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights” when it was elected by the General Assembly to become a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, but left unaddressed which concrete steps would be taken to fulfill pledges on key issues like freedom of religion and expression, and accountability of abuses by military forces.
The United States continued to provide extensive military assistance to Indonesia. In July US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Indonesia Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa co-chaired the second annual Joint Commission of the US-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership. In November President Barack Obama visited Indonesia as part of the ASEAN Summit in Bali.
The US also continued to reengage with Kopassus, and provide significant support to Detachment 88, Indonesia's counterterrorism police. Similarly, the Australian government continued cooperation with both units.
In July the European Parliament issued a resolution on human rights in Indonesia, condemning recent attacks on Christians and Ahmadiyah properties.