Uwazi

The May Day demonstration in front of the Central Java Provincial DPRD office was marred by chaos. Video was recorded of a police officer hitting a demonstrator on the arm with a baton. This person has been investigated internally by the police. The video uploaded by the X (Twitter) account @lbhsemarang shows the atmosphere when water cannons sprayed towards the crowd and the officers who were originally guarding the gate began to spread out. Then a man in black was approached by a number of police, one of whom hit a baton on the left arm of the man in black who then ran away.

"EMOTIONAL POLICE BREAKED CIVILIANS AT THE SEMARANG ACTION. At around 15.54 the police beat and dragged at least 3 people with bruises and bruises from baton blows on their necks and chests. What's cruel is that after the beating they actually celebrated. As if they were proud to express their emotions to the people," wrote @lbhsemarang in the video caption.

Semarang Police Chief, Commissioner Irwan Anwar, said that the May Day or Labor Day demonstration last Wednesday (1/5) was safe in the first wave. The second wave of chaos occurred at the front gate of the Central Java DPRD office.

"The first wave was conducive. Then in the second wave, there were other groups besides workers. The workers didn't like it so they were separated. One in front of the Governorate, one in front of the DPRD," explained Irwan at the Simpang Lima Libas Post, Thursday (2/5/2024).

The tension occurred twice. The initial tension was resolved and the crowd returned to giving speeches. However, during the second standoff, the police lowered water cannons to ward off the crowd. That's when a police officer started beating him even though he tried to stop him.

"During the implementation, at the end it was sprayed with a water cannon. Then one personnel from the Semarang Police Samapta came out of formation and was suspected of carrying out physical violence against the demonstrators," explained Irwan.

He explained that the member with the initials Aiptu R was now being examined. "An investigation is being carried out for further legal action," he stressed.

Amnesty International Indonesia is urging the police to release a number of high-school students who were arrested for wearing Morning Star independence flag attributes during a parade in Nabire, Central Papua.

Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said based on information they received, at least six students were arrested by police during a senior high-school (SMA) graduation celebration on Monday May 6.

"We call on the authorities to immediately free all the students who were detained for no apparent reason and carry out a fair investigation of teh acts of violence that allegedly occurred", said Hamid said in a written statement on Tuesday May 7.

According to Hamid, the arrests were accompanied by alleged acts of violence by police against students which is unacceptable. He said the expression of happiness through a peaceful procession is not a crime.

Hamid is also of the view that the symbol of the Morning Star represents a cultural expression, so it should not be a reason for the authorities to arrest anyone without due legal process.

"The police and the government should emulate Gus Dur's [former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid] approach towards indigenous Papuans. Cultural symbols such as the Morning Star flag were accommodated because it's a peaceful expression", he said.

Based on information obtained by Amnesty, the students celebrated their graduation by holding a parade on a main road while wearing their school uniforms.

Some of them drew motives of the Morning Star flag on their uniforms, which the authorities see as being a symbol of the Free Papua Organization (OPM).

A similar celebration was also carried out by SMA students in Dogiyai regency.

But the celebration in Nabire ended with the arrest of the students accompanied by alleged violence by the authorities. So far, the identity of the six arrested students is still unknown. The students were said to have been taken to the Nabire regional police station.

CNN Indonesia has contacted the head of Papua regional police public relations division, Senior Commissioner Ignatius Benny Ady Prabowo, to ask about the arrests in Nabire, but as of this report being written he has not responded.

Earlier, Prabowo said the police had asked for clarification regarding the students' parade wearing the Morning Star attributes. "We have asked for clarification from the Dogiyai Polres [district police] related to photos of the event that were circulated on a WhatsApp group", said Prabowo on Monday.

Meanwhile, quoting from by Detik South Sulawesi, Dogiyai police chief Police Commander Sarraju said the long-march by the Dogiyai 2 State SMA students was indeed to celebrate their graduation. He claimed that the police who were on patrol in the area were prohibited from entering the school.

"Indeed (on Monday) morning at around 9.30 am our officer conducted patrols and monitored the announcement of 12th grade graduation at the Dogiyai SMU [State High School] 2 led by Second Police Inspector Agustinus Rirey and officers", he said on Tuesday.

"But when they wanted to enter the school grounds to appeal to students not to carry out the parade or long-march they were prevented by several students standing guard at the school gate", he added.

The police, he said, are looking into the actions of the Dogiyai 2 State SMA students who celebrated their graduation wearing clothes with pictures of the Morning Star flag. The school principal and four teachers have already been questioned over the incident.

"The Dogiyai police criminal investigation unit has conducted a clarification with the school principal and teachers, as many as four people, in relation with yesterday's incident", said Dogiyai district police chief Police Commander Sarajju.

Sarajju said that Dogiyai 2 State SMA school principle Fredy Yobee has apologised for the incident claiming that he and the teachers did not have prior knowledge of students' actions.

The Civil Society Coalition has condemned all forms of threats, intimidation, and violence experienced by the residents of Kampung Susun Bayam (KSB).

The violence occurred on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at KSB in the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) area, North Jakarta, and was carried out by security personnel from Jakarta International Stadium, Jakarta Propertindo (JakPro), the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP).

The coalition, which includes LBH Jakarta, KontraS, WALHI Jakarta, YLBHI, Community Paralegal, Brotherhood of Kampung Bayam Residents (PWKB), Pancoran United Forum, Oppressed Kampung Pilar Community Forum (FORWAPTI), and Petamburan Public Housing Residents, stated this in their press release, quoted by KBA News on Saturday, May 21, 2024.

“From the information we gathered, JIS security personnel and the police approached KSB residents’ homes and immediately demanded that the residents vacate their residences. JIS security and police forcibly entered and used violence to force residents out of their homes, resulting in injuries to several residents and trauma to others, including women and children,” the statement read.

The coalition observed that police members allowed violence by Jakpro security personnel, which they view as a violation of the constitutional mandate as stated in Article 30 Paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution, which stipulates that the police’s function is to maintain public security and order by providing protection, fostering, and serving the community.

Additionally, about 500 combined forces consisting of private security, Civil Service Police, National Police, and the Armed Forces were deployed to evict 150 residents from 37 families (KK). “We assess this as a clear form of excessive use of force in security actions,” the coalition further explained.

The actions of these forces are prohibited by various internal regulations and other rules, specifically Police Regulation (Perkap) No. 1/2009 on the Use of Force in Police Actions and Perkap No. 8/2009 on the Implementation of Human Rights Principles and Standards in the Performance of Police Duties of the Republic of Indonesia.

“The Civil Society Coalition demands the Indonesian National Police, Mabes Polri Cq. Metro Jaya Police to stop all forms of repressive actions against Kampung Susun Bayam residents,” the release stated. Colonized by Our Own People

The forced eviction actions in Kampung Susun Bayam by the Satpol PP and security are considered arbitrary abuses of power. PT Jakarta Propertindo (JakPro), the BUMD of DKI Jakarta and manager of KSB, is accused of neglecting the humanistic aspect in handling the issue.

Human Rights and Democracy Activist Muhammad Adi Alim views the actions by the BUMD as orders from the higher-ups, specifically the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta, Pj Heru Budi Hartono.

“This is the outcome of an acting governor appointed through a giveaway, who was never democratically elected by the people of Jakarta,” he stated when contacted by KBA News on Friday, May 24, 2024.

According to him, an acting official is appointed as an executor, a public servant, but what is done and decided does not represent the people. “Then who does it represent? Obviously, it represents those who appointed him as Acting Governor,” he firmly stated.

This social media activist recalled that what happened in Kampung Susun Bayam is part of the colonization performed by our own nation. “I am reminded of Bung Karno’s will, my struggle was easier because it was against other nations, your struggle is harder because it’s against your own nation,” he explained.

He said, to this day, Bung Karno’s will remains relevant. The colonization in this country is by those paid with the people’s money. “The events in Kampung Susun Bayam are proof of what Bung Karno said. The red carpet of colonization is laid out by our own nation,” he revealed.

The political TikToker expressed sadness over the events affecting the residents of Kampung Susun Bayam. He also hopes for justice to arrive soon. “May justice arrive soon. May the oppressors, those unjust to the people, receive fitting retribution,” he said.

Previously, KBA News reported that Muhammad Chozin Amirullah, Special Staff to Governor Anies Baswedan, condemned the JakPro elites who claimed the eviction of Kampung Susun Bayam on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, was conducted humanely.

Contrary to their claims, the eviction at KSB located in the JIS area involved over 500 officers and even led to injuries among the residents during the upheaval.

“How can that be considered humane when you deploy hundreds of officers, almost 500 or maybe more, consisting of Satpol PP, security. How can you say there was no intimidation,” he strongly stated.

“There was blood spilled there. There was blood scattered on the floor. There were mothers who fainted. There were children crying. You claim that was humane,” he further rejected the claims of the JakPro elites.

There is a strong suspicion that there is an attempt to criminalize plasma farmers who are members of the Kuala Tunak KUD in Tabuyung Village, Muara Batang Girls District, Mandailing Natal (Madina) Regency.

This was explained by the Chairman of KUD Kuala Tunak, Wardan Batubara via a WA message received by Waspada.id, Monday (27/5).

Wardan explained that the criminalization was allegedly carried out by the Management of PT Sawit Sukses Sejati (PT. SSS). KUD Kuala Tunak plasma farmers concluded that they were criminalized after hundreds of plasma participating farmers came to the South Madina Plantation Office (KMS) to ask directly for surplus plasma plantation products from PT SSS Management.

They went directly to PT. SSS because the management and supervisors have made maximum efforts, both verbally and in writing so that PT. SSS as the adoptive father in managing plasma plantations will pay a surplus at the end of 2023 worth IDR 2.8 billion to plasma participating farmers. Three months of efforts were made but did not produce results.

"We have made efforts since January 2024, both in writing and orally, conveyed in several meetings with PT Management. SSS requested that the 2023 surplus be paid to members, but the adoptive father (PT. SSS) did not want to pay it. Then, we held a meeting with plasma members, the decision at the meeting was for all members to request the surplus directly from PT Management. SSS," said Wardan Batubara, Chairman of KUD Kuala Tunak.

Wardan Batubara further explained, on March 20 2024, hundreds of members accompanied by Kuala Tunak KUD Management and Supervisors went to the KMS plantation office, the members directly asked for their rights, namely a surplus of IDR 2.8 billion, from PT Management. SSS. However, the answer received by a member from the Group Manager named Ramsi, was not accepted by the company, and the company instead invited members to manage their own plantations.

GM PT's answer. The SSS makes the members emotional and quarrels occur even though they can still be controlled. At that time, the members remained at the location until evening and there was an incident where the window of the meeting room was thrown, the perpetrator of which was not known because it was dark, there was no lighting, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of breaking glass.

This incident of the garden office window being thrown is what is strongly suspected to have been caused by PT Management. SSS to criminalize Kuala Tunak KUD Management, Supervisors and Members as plasma farmer participants.

This can be proven by the actions of PT. SSS, through Rico Yustanto, has made a report to the Mandailing Natal Police with the reporter, Heri Risnandar as Public Relations and Iswayudi Arabia as Security, with Police Report Number: LP/B/78/III/2024/SPKT/Mandiling Natal Police/North Sumatra Police. A total of 14 administrators, supervisors and members of the Kualo Tunak KUD will respond to the summons from the Mandailing Natal Police on Monday and Tuesday, 27/28 May 2024 regarding this incident.

"We have received the summons from the Madina Police and we will attend at the appointed time. We believe that what the members have done is the truth to demand their rights and we also ask that PT SSS be held accountable for what they have done in managing the community plasma plantation, it is a mandate." said Wardan Batubara.

Meanwhile, Sakwan Lubis, Chief Supervisor of KUD Kuala Tunak, who was contacted via cellphone, said that PT. The SSS should be suspected of embezzling plasma farmer funds because to date, the 2023 plasma plantation surplus of IDR 2.8 billion has not been distributed to members. Sakwan hopes that the Mandailing Natal Regency Government will not remain silent on this issue, as civil servants and public servants they should not allow society to be criminalized by unscrupulous business people.

Sakwan Lubis also explained, PT. SSS as the adoptive father in the management of plasma plantations never involves KUD. Kuala Tunak as the plantation owner makes plans for plantation management costs and their realization, whether annually, monthly or even weekly. But suddenly, at the beginning of 2023 the management of PT. SSS delivers KUD. Kuala Tunak is in minus condition and has a debt of IDR 8.3 billion. This condition makes KUD Kuala Tunak question what kind of management is carried out by PT. SSS in managing the garden seems unprofessional. The reason is because the plasma farmers have handed over the management of the plantation to PT. SSS is considered an expert and professional in managing oil palm plantations, but the facts on the ground are different. It should be PT. SSS can plan and predict what costs and profits will be as well as what obstacles will be faced.

KUD party. Kuala Tunak is currently conducting an investigation to prove this, if proven it will bring the matter into the realm of law.

Madina Police Chief. AKBP Arie Sopandi Paloh, S.Ik confirmed via WA message, until this news was sent there had been no reply.

Authorities across China are targeting dissidents and petitioners ahead of next week’s key meeting of the ruling Communist Party, placing them under house arrest or escorting them out of town on enforced "vacations," Radio Free Asia has learned.

Several high-profile activists including political journalist Gao Yu, rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang and political commentator Zha Jianguo have been targeted for security measures ahead of the third plenary session of the party's Central Committee, a person in Beijing familiar with the situation who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals said.

The meeting is scheduled to start Monday at the Jingxi Hotel in Beijing in a bid to boost the struggling economy.

"I can name several people in Beijing who have been notified by state security police of house arrest or [enforced] travel, including Gao Yu, Zha Jianguo ... Pu Zhiqiang and many other rights activists," the person said. "Some have already left Beijing."

The operation is part of China's "stability maintenance" system, which kicks into high gear targeting those the authorities see as potential troublemakers ahead of top-level meetings and politically sensitive dates in the calendar.

Activists in Wuhan reported similar arrangements, with one participant in last year's "silver protests" among those targeted.

"Tong Menglan has been taken to Kunming by state security police for a few days," a Wuhan-based activist who gave only the surname Liu for fear of reprisals told RFA Mandarin on Tuesday.

"Several dissidents have been getting calls from police nearly every day, telling them to stay home and to share their cell phone locations with police, so they can be sure they've stayed home," he said.

Keeping them quiet

The "stability maintenance" system typically targets independent journalists, rights activists and lawyers, anyone with a grievance against the government, people who complain about or petition the authorities, and anyone with a track record of posting online content that the government doesn't like.

Meanwhile, an army of internet censors, many of whom work for private service providers, keeps a list of metaphors, code words, homophones and other workarounds to help them block and delete unwanted content.

Fellow Wuhan-based rights activist who gave only the surname Sun for fear of reprisals said he is currently under house arrest. "One reason is the July 1 Communist Party anniversary, and another is the upcoming third plenum of the Central Committee,” he said.

"Anyone who tries to go to Beijing will be put under house arrest," he said. "Even if you just say you are going to Beijing in a group chat, they will target you. They get paid to maintain stability.”

Government-backed censors are also blocking any groups on WeChat that typically discuss politics and current affairs, according to a Hunan-based dissident who gave only the surname Tian for fear of reprisals.

"Two of the groups I'm in for politically sensitive dissidents or political prisoners have been shut down two or three days ahead of [the plenum]," Tian said.

Unusually strict

Several dissidents told RFA Mandarin that controls are unusually strict this year.

"Firstly, this year's third plenum was delayed for so long, and secondly, two defense ministers have been arrested just beforehand," Tian said.

"They're under a lot of pressure due to the situation at home and internationally, and due to the economy," he said. "They're a little nervous."

Tian said he hasn't been put under house arrest -- yet.

A leaked directive from a county-level Stability Maintenance and Security Command Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan that was circulating on social media on Tuesday ordered staff to target any petitioners from the county who are still in Beijing, and bring them back home under escort by July 12.

China's army of petitioners, who flood the Communist Party's official complaints departments daily, frequently report being held in unofficial detention centers known as "black jails," beaten, or otherwise harassed if they persist in a complaint beyond its initial rejection at the local level, even if they follow legal channels.

They are often escorted home forcibly by "interceptors" sent by their local governments to prevent negative reports from reaching the ears of higher authorities. They face surveillance, violent treatment and possible detention on criminal charges, particularly during major political events or on dates linked to the pro-democracy movement.

A petitioner who gave only the surname Li for fear of reprisals told RFA Mandarin that she had just been brought back to Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu by interceptors.

"Third plenums of the Central Committee are closely bound up with petitioners," Li said, adding that some people she knows are already under house arrest.

But she said it was "normal" for petitioners to go to Beijing to complain about problems.

"They shouldn't restrict and suppress petitioners just because there's a meeting on, when the government itself hasn't done anything to resolve these issues," she said.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment or Walhi regrets the attempt to forcibly pick up Muhriyono, one of the farmers in Pakel Village, Licin District, Banyuwangi Regency , East Java. Muhriyono was forcibly picked up by the Banyuwangi Resort Police, Sunday (9/6/2024) at around 19.30.

The retrieval of Muhriyono is related to a case of alleged assault against a security personnel of PT Bumisari Maju Sukses plantation company. The incident took place last March.

In a virtual and offline press conference on Tuesday (11/6/2024), Executive Director of Walhi East Java, Wahyu Eka Setyawan, stated that what happened to Muhriyono was one of many reckless actions carried out by the police.

"There is a pattern of violation of procedures, because the process is very fast and it seems as if farmers in Pakel are dangerous people for society and the state. "The stigma was conveyed by them, one of them from the police, plantations which actually have their roots in the agrarian conflict in Pakel," said Wahyu, who is part of the Advocacy Working Team for Agrarian Sovereignty.

According to Wahyu, agrarian conflict in Pakel has been ongoing for so long that the rights of residents, particularly small farmers, are often lost. In addition to their economic rights, their right to speak and their citizenship rights are also lost because they are deemed to have behaved badly.

The Pakel conflict is a problem of land ownership inequality. The community only owns a small portion of the village area, while the rest is occupied by Perhutani and claimed by plantation companies. These companies hold the right to use the land (HGU), but the process is considered odd as it does not involve the community.

Cases like this not only happen in Pakel, but also in other areas. The Ministry of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), according to Wahyu, should not include land such as that in Pakel in the HGU, but distribute it to the community.

"We have repeatedly conveyed this to ATR/BPN to resolve this conflict. ATR/BPN promised to do areview because there were allegations of malpractice. "We ask that they be returned to Pakel Village, released from the plantations as promised by the government regarding redistribution," he said.

Wahyu also assessed that the efforts made by the Banyuwangi Regency Government (Pemkab) to address the issue were inadequate. The Pemkab Banyuwangi did not establish a Land Dispute Resolution Team, but a Social Conflict Resolution Team.

The Head of Pakel Farmers Association, Harun, stated that the residents of Pakel were shocked because according to Muhriyono's family, he was suddenly visited by unknown persons claiming to be police officers who arrived in three cars on Sunday night.

Also read: 87 Percent Realized Forest Area Release

At that time, Muhriyono was having dinner. The unknown person then showed the (arrest) letter, but the family had not had time to read its contents. "According to the story, it was his son (Muhriyono's son), who brought (arrested) it from the police, but not talking from the police or Banyuwangi Police," he said.

eeling panicked and confused, the residents immediately went to the Banyuwangi Police station that night. They stayed at the police station until late at night.

Due to not obtaining definite information regarding the whereabouts of the person being searched for, on Monday (10/5/2024) at 01:30, residents eventually returned to their respective homes.

"Because we were tired and many young children were with us, we eventually agreed to go home. At that time, the weather was rainy day and night. Despite the rain, we still searched for the whereabouts of our missing friend (Muhriyono)," said Harun online.

On Monday afternoon, according to Harun, residents returned to the Banyuwangi Police Headquarters to inquire about the whereabouts of Muhriyono. They finally received confirmation that Muhriyono was arrested by the Banyuwangi Police on the grounds that he had ignored a summons and refused a letter sent by the police.

According to information from his child, Muhriyono only received one summons letter from the Banyuwangi Regional Police. The second letter was sent through a courier, but the name stated on the letter was Muh. Riono (not Muhriyono), causing the recipient of the letter to assume it was for a different person.

Edy Kurniawan from YLBHI also expressed concern. He believes that what was done to Muhriyono was an arbitrary action and a violation of human rights. Procedurally, Muhriyono was declared a suspect on June 10.

On the same date, the family received a detention order and an arrest warrant. The arrest process was carried out on June 9, 2024. "This means that the police took action - which is why we released the term 'kidnapping' - because it was not based on valid grounds," he said.

Also read: After 26 years of agrarian conflict related to the Kalibakar Plantation in Malang, it ends peacefully

Edy considers that the arrest of Muhriyono was actually unnecessary and excessive. The police should have carried out a series of investigations and investigations based on a process that is accountable and transparent.

The police should first take persuasive measures. If Muhriyono will complicate the legal process, then arrest can be made, but human rights must be considered. "There should be no violence, it should not be done at night, and the community around should be taken into consideration," he said.

According to Edy, this is not the first or second time the Pakel incident has happened. Previously, in 2023, three Pakel residents were arrested and went to court. However, he was finally free after being ruled onslag (free from all legal demands) by the Supreme Court.

"In the Pakel case, we see that what is being done is not in the context of law enforcement, but rather law enforcement that favors the company or there are indications that law enforcement is being carried out to intimidate residents," he said.

Hundreds of residents of Torobulu, Laeya District, South Konawe Regency, protested in front of the Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra) Regional Police, in Kendari, Wednesday (12/6/2024). This action was a response to efforts to criminalize two Torobulu residents which continued to stage II - the case files have been transferred to the Kendari District Prosecutor's Office (Kejari).

The two residents who were criminalized were Haslilin (30), female, and Andi Firmansyah (41), male, who were accused of obstructing or disrupting mining business activities in accordance with Article 162 of Law No. 3 of 2020 concerning Mineral and Coal Mining (Minerba). ) jo Article 55 of the Criminal Code.

Muhammad Ansar, from LBH Makassar, representing the legal advisory team Haslilin and Andi Firmansyah assessed that the naming of two Torobulu residents as suspects was an act of criminalization of environmental and human rights (HAM) fighters. He said that the constitution states that everyone has the right to a good and healthy living environment as part of human rights.

"Therefore, we assess that the legal process against Ms. Haslilin and Mr. Andi with both of them being named as suspects is nothing more than an act of criminalization. This act of criminalization will endanger the right of public participation to obtain a good and healthy environment guaranteed by the Constitution," said Ansar, Wednesday. (12/6/2024).

This case started when Haslilin and Andi Firmansyah, together with other Torobulu residents, visited a PT Wijaya Intan Nusantara (PT WIN) excavator unit belonging to Frans Salim Kalalo, on November 6 2023. The heavy equipment was dredging nickel ore in Torobulu Village.

PT WIN's activities are only approximately 100 meters from residential areas and very close to the main road. The aim of the residents' arrival was to find out whether the mining activity was in accordance with regulations or not.

"We came here to find out whether the mining activities carried out comply with regulations. The mining area is very close to residential areas. Even though previously it had been agreed that each party should refrain, there should be no mining activities yet. "At the meeting there were village heads, sub-district heads and Torobulu residents," said Andi Firmansyah.

Residents protested because they did not want landslides and dust covering residents' houses due to mining activities to repeat themselves as had happened before. In addition, the residents' 2 water sources have been damaged, the residents' rice plants are damaged during the rainy season, not to mention the dust. Because of this, Andi Firmansyah and Haslilin asked that the excavator be pulled back far from residential areas.

"We came not to arrest, but to question why there was activity. "We also don't want any more landslides, our water sources being damaged, and dust entering our houses which we have been experiencing because of mining activities," said Haslilin.

However, via letter number: S.Pgl/234/VI/RES.5.5./2024/Ditreskrimsus and letter number: S.Pgl/235/VI/RES.5.5./2024/Ditreskrimsus, dated June 7 2024, Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police instead summoned both of them to be handed over to the Kendari Prosecutor's Office (Phase II).

"We consider that PT WIN's use of Article 162 of the Mineral and Coal Law has an evil aim, namely to silence the residents of Torobulu, therefore, we urge law enforcement officials, prosecutors and courts to maintain the dignity of the law by not criminalizing Mrs. Haslilin and Mr. Andi Firmansyah," said Ansar.

The Director of Walhi Sultra, Andi Rahman, believes that Andi Firmansyah and Haslilin should be protected, not punished. Because what Andi Firmansyah and Haslilin and other Torobulu residents are doing is an effort to protect the environment and defend their living space from the threat of mining.

Andi explained, Article 66 of Law no. 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management, it is very clear that anyone who fights for the right to a good and healthy environment cannot be prosecuted criminally or sued civilly.

"Therefore, it would be very strange if Ms. Haslilin and Andi Firmansyah were prosecuted, the question would arise, who is the law for?" Andi said.

In the ongoing process of criminalization efforts, in front of the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police, residents also voiced the conditions in Torobulu which continue to face mining activities.

Andi said that residents had to pay a high price due to ongoing mining activities in Torobulu. Environmental damage is visible to the naked eye around residential areas. He said, there are only days left, if the mining continues, residents will slowly be pushed out of their living space.

In this action, the residents of Torobulu issued a statement of their position and demands, namely to stop criminalization efforts against Andi Firmansyah and Haslilin, who are environmental fighters, as well as the criminalization of other residents of Torobulu Village.

Then the masses also asked for the rights of fishermen in Torobulu Village and the residents' living space to be returned. Residents also demand an end to environmental destruction and the revocation of PT WIN's IUP.

"It is important to note that the transfer of case files and suspects (Phase II) to the Kendari District Prosecutor's Office which was planned to be carried out on June 12 2024 has been postponed until June 20 2024," said Andi Rahman.

Criminalization of the Nagari Kapa Pejuang Farmer Community occurred again while legal efforts were underway. Where on June 12 2024 five people from the community were summoned by the West Pasaman Police with an invitation for a clarifying interview regarding the report reported by PT Permata Hijau Pasaman (PHP) I to the community who are currently fighting for their rights to land for livelihood. Thursday, June 13, 2024

Even though the community is carrying out several legal efforts to resolve problems that have been suffering for so long, including Civil lawsuit Number 9/Pdt.G/ 2024/PN Psb, Cassation Number 7/Akta Kas/VI/2023/ PN Psb against the decision of the Padang High Court dated 27 June 2023 Number 130/PDT/2023/PT PDG. Apart from that, it is also a Priority Location for Agrarian Reform (LPRA) by the ATR BPN ministry in the 2024 Agrarian Reform Task Force (GTRA) program in accordance with the Central GTRA Decree (SK) for completion, chaired by the Regent of West Pasaman while the implementer of the West Pasaman BPN Office and Related Agencies in the GTRA Decree.

The community has also held two hearings at the West Pasaman Regency DPRD, with the result that the DPRD promised to form a Special Committee Team for governmental resolution regarding the conflict that occurred in Nagari Kapa between the Nagari Kapa Pejuang Farmer Community and PT PHP I (Wilmar Group). These are some of the efforts being made by the community to obtain their rights as citizens in accordance with Pancasila in the fifth principle of "social justice for all Indonesian people". According to Tuangku Muhammad Arif Datuak Majo Basa as Ninik Mamak in Nagari Kapa asked the enforcement officers to be neutral, because of the conflict between the people of Nagari Kapa and PT PHP I, efforts are ongoing and this problem is being handled by the ATR BPN Ministry and in Pasaman a Cluster Team has been formed. The task of Agrarian Reform is chaired directly by the Regent of West Pasaman to resolve the conflicts that occur.

One of the residents who was summoned by the West Pasaman Police, Hendri Saputra, "hopes that the Law Enforcement Officials, in this case the West Pasaman Police, will no longer summon us and other communities because the settlement and litigation process is ongoing, we hope that it will be resolved quickly by the parties concerned. ”.

The police forcibly dispersed the "All Eyes on Papua" demonstration which was held on Jalan Puputan, Denpasar City, on Monday (10/6). This movement aims to respond to the demands of the Awyu Tribe and Moi Tribe regarding customary forests.

Based on Kumparan's monitoring, four people were arrested by the police when they broke up the demonstration. One of them is a representative of LBH Bali. "There is 1 person, that's right (the LBH representative was detained by the police). We are currently preparing a press release, please be patient," said LBH Bali Director, Rezky Pratiwi, when contacted.

The demonstration held by dozens of students initially went peacefully from 11.00 WITA. The participants conveyed a number of demands and expressed themselves by dancing a number of typical Papuan dances.

The police asked the crowd to disperse when the representatives were about to read a statement. The police then pushed back the protest participants, which sparked conflict. The action participants responded by throwing stones.

"We have provided a place to convey aspirations. I ask that the action be finished and the participants disperse," said a police officer who led the command.

The police were then seen hitting some of the demonstrators and pouring water from water cannons to disperse them. The police also surrounded and arrested some of the demonstration participants. The police threatened to arrest participants who did not comply with orders to disperse. The demonstration participants finally dispersed at around 14.00 WITA.

Authorities in Vietnam’s Dak Lak province have refused to issue a passport to former political prisoner Huynh Thuc Vy, for "national security reasons," she told Radio Free Asia.

However, the provincial police department’s Security Investigation Agency didn’t provide any documents to support the decision.

Thuc Vy, 39, is a co-founder of Vietnam Women for Human Rights and the author of many articles on democracy and human rights.

She was sentenced to 33 months in prison for "insulting the national flag" in November 2018, but released in June, three months early.

On June 6, she went to the Immigration Department in Dak Lak to apply for a new passport because her old one was confiscated by border security in 2015 when she was preparing to go to Bangkok to attend a digital security training course by Reporters Without Borders.

She was told she was barred from leaving the country until June 26.

On June 27, Thuc Vy applied for a passport online and was asked to visit the immigration department.

“The security officers of Dak Lak province informed me that I am still on an exit ban, so they will not issue a passport for me,” she told RFA on Friday.

“They said not granting a passport is not permanent but will depend on my attitude, meaning whether I continue to speak up.”

Thuc Vy recently started a food charity near her home along with her brother Huynh Trong Hieu, asking people to donate money to help provide 50 free lunches a day to poor patients at a local hospital.

During the meeting on July 9, authorities warned her that "distributing charity gifts if not done properly will result in criminal liability."

Thuc Vy said she would stop accepting donations and wouldn't hand out any more free meals after using up the money already donated.

RFA Vietnamese called the Immigration Department of Dak Lak provincial police department to verify her claims but the reporter was asked to bring a letter of introduction and make inquiries in person.

The 2019 Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens states that authorities can refuse to issue a passport for “national defense and security reasons according to the decision of the minister of national defense or the minister of public security."

The ministers can decide the duration of the ban based on when they believe the person is no longer a threat to defense and security.

Thuc Vy said the police told her not to speak to the media, not to write articles about social issues and not to gather with “other government critics.”

"It feels like I no longer have my civil rights because,” she said.

“I thought that when I was released from prison I was free and could return to a normal life, but it turned out that they continued to oppress me and don’t let me have a life like a normal citizen.”

Six Tibetan caterpillar fungus harvesters and sellers from eastern Tibet have been detained by Chinese police after attempting to report a buyer who allegedly defrauded them, sources with knowledge of the situation said.

The harvesters from farming or nomadic families in Chamdo city’s Tengchen county, or Dengqen in Chinese, were trying to report a Chinese merchant who allegedly duped 26 Tibetans out of caterpillar fungus worth 2.5 million yuan, or about US$344,000, the sources said.

In English, the substance is called caterpillar fungus, but it is more widely recognized throughout Asia by its Tibetan name yartsa gunbu, which means “summer grass, winter worm.”

Many Tibetans in the county rely on income from selling the fungus to make a living.

Highly valued in traditional medicine and sometimes fetching up to US$50,000 per pound, the fungus is believed to treat various ailments, despite lacking scientific validation.

Police detained the six Tibetans — Dhargey, Drubgha, Ngado, Samdup, Tsering Dhargey and Tsega — on June 18 when they traveled to northern China’s coastal city of Tianjin to lodge a complaint, said the sources, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals by authorities.

Two police officers from Chamdo city and a local officer initially detained the group there before transferring them to Tengchen county, the sources said. Their current whereabouts are unknown.

Scammed

Twenty-six Tibetans in the county who accumulated their own stocks of caterpillar fungus, supplemented by additional purchases, sold their entire supplies to Chinese businessman Lin Jinyuan, who offered 5,000 yuan, or nearly US$700, more per kilogram than other buyers, said a Tibetan from the region.

Upon learning that Lin owned stores and hotels in Beijing and Tianjin, the sellers immediately trusted him and agreed to sell their stocks, he said.

Lin gave them a receipt and promised to pay them the money after a few days, but on June 9, he vanished from Tengchen and could not be found, the source said.

“When the Tibetan sellers went to the address on the receipt in Tianjin to collect their payment for the caterpillar fungus, they realized they had been duped,” the Tibetan told Radio Free Asia. “The receipt was fake and did not belong to him.”

Chinese authorities detained the Tibetans for taking the matter into their own hands rather than following the proper protocol for lodging complaints, and for creating a commotion, a second Tibetan from Tibet told RFA.

“The Tibetan sellers, however, insisted that all they want is to recover the money the Chinese businessman duped them out of,” he said. “They have submitted all the evidence, including a picture of the Chinese businessman and the receipts he gave them.”

Local authorities and police in Tengchen county warned the Tibetans to follow proper procedures or risk imprisonment instead of recovering their money, he said.

In Negros, elements of the 15th IBPA elements barged into the house of fisherfolk leader Joselito Macapobre in Barangay Guiljungan, Cauayan, Negros Occidental on June 11, 2024 while he was out selling fish. According to Macapobre’s wife, the men introduced themselves as “kaupod” (comrades), asked for his whereabouts and opened the bags inside his home, claiming to be in search of something Macapobre left for them. The soldiers had earlier summoned Macapobre on June 9 to “discuss” his submission of an affidavit in support of development workers of Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Group Inc (PDG) facing trumped-up terrorism financing cases. Macapobre refused the summons for fear of being coerced into retracting his affidavit.

In Central Luzon, tarpaulins addressed to Karapatan-Central Luzon coordinator Pia Montalban were hung in at least three provinces — Pampanga, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija — accusing her and KARAPATAN of being the recruiters of ten alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) slain in a gunbattle in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija on June 26. The latter’s families had requested Montalban’s assistance in retrieving the bodies of their loved ones from a funeral parlor.

An activist who highlighted the plight of the indigenous Bajau Lau community was arrested by Sabah police today, a move that was criticised by a local chapter of an international rights group.

Mukmin Nantang, the founder of Borneo Komrad, was released on police bail later, Amnesty International Malaysia said.

It is understood that Mukmin is being investigated for sedition.

Amnesty International Malaysia slammed the arrest, describing it as an attempt to intimidate and silence activists. It said the use of the Sedition Act was a blatant violation of freedom of expression.

“The government has an obligation to protect human rights defenders, not arrest and attempt to intimidate (them).

"The repressive Sedition Act has no place in Malaysia and goes against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration’s own commitments to repeal draconian laws curtailing freedom of speech, its executive director, Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, said in a statement.

Maliamauv urged the authorities to drop the investigation against Mukmin and called on the Sabah government to end the crackdown on human rights activists and the Bajau Laut people.

On June 25, Sabah police said it would be questioning Mukmin in connection with videos depicting the demolition of Bajau Laut homes.

The eviction of the Bajau Laut community in Semporna, Sabah, earlier this month saw their stilt homes torn down in an operation that apparently targeted those living on seven islands in the region, including Pulau Bohey Dulang, Pulau Maiga, Pulau Bodgaya, Pulau Sebangkat and Pulau Sibuan.

Mukmin was reported as saying that men had arrived at the Bajau Laut community’s homes on June 4, and demolished and burnt their homes to drive them out.

Borneo Komrad also shared several videos of the alleged evictions on X, one of which showed several men pushing a dilapidated house until it collapsed.

However, Sabah tourism, culture and environment minister Christina Liew said the operation was carried out because of safety concerns following a shooting incident in Teluk Darvel and cross-border criminal activities in the area.

On June 25, journalist Shivshankar Jha, 48, sustained multiple wounds to his throat after being stabbed by unidentified persons, allegedly organised by illicit alcohol suppliers in the north-eastern state of Bihar. Jha was attacked while returning to his residence in Maripur village, situated near Muzaffarpur in Bihar. Reportedly, he was rushed by local residents to the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries on June 26.

Jha, who worked for several Hindi media outlets, had complained to the police about severe threats to his life prior to the attack. According to local media reports, the family claimed that the local ‘liqour mafia’ an organised crime outfit distributing illicit alcohol, was responsible for Jha’s murder. Two people have reportedly been arrested in connection to the killing.

In a statement, the Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU) strongly condemned the journalist’s killing, with local politicians expressing condolences and committing to holding those responsible to account. Since prohibiting the sale of alcohol, in 2016 Bihar has seen the rise of illicit alcohol production and distribution.

On May 13, Sudarshan News journalist Ashutosh Srivastava was fatally shot in Uttar Pradesh while travelling home from a market. Like Shivshankar, he had received threats prior to his killing, and had written to police requesting protection.

RSF is urging Indonesian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into a recent house fire that claimed the lives of a journalist and his family, amid serious suspicions that the disaster may be a criminal act in retribution for his investigations into an illegal gambling network.

A coalition of Indonesian press freedom organisations released a report on 2 July 2024 suggesting that the death of Sempurna Pasaribu, a journalist for Tribrata TV who perished in a house fire, was a criminal act. According to a witness, five unidentified individuals were seen approaching the journalist's home, located in the city of Kabanjahe, in western Indonesia, thirty minutes before the blaze on the night of 27 June. Sempurna's wife, son, and grandson also perished in the fire.

In the days leading up to the tragedy, the 47-year-old journalist received threats from officials reacting to his articles on the TV channel’s website about an illegal gambling den owned by a local army officer, as well as his coverage of local campaigns that opposed drug use, illegal gambling, and prostitution. Army and police officers also contacted the editor-in-chief of Tribrata TV, urging the removal of the articles, but their requests were left unanswered.

"The initial findings of the investigation suggest that Sempurna Pasaribu and his family may have been victims of an assassination due to the journalist’s investigations on illegal gambling activities. We urge the Indonesian authorities to conduct a thorough judicial investigation to determine the causes and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

Cédric Alviani Director of RSF’s Asia-Pacific Bureau In Indonesia, journalists investigating abuses committed by local authorities often face intimidation and even imprisonment. In November 2021, journalist Muhammad Asrul was abusively sentenced to three months in prison for publishing a report on the embezzlement of public funds by a local administration.

Indonesia ranked 111th out of 180 in the 2024 RSF World Press Freedom Index, guarantees freedom of the press in principle in its legislation.

Myanmar’s military regime on Friday sentenced Development Media Group (DMG) reporter Ko Htet Aung, who was arrested while covering an alms donation ceremony on October 29, 2023, and night watchman Ko Soe Win Aung, detained during a raid on DMG’s office the same day, to five years in prison with hard labour.

Police Captain Bo Bo Kyaw of the No. 1 Police Station in Sittwe brought prosecution against the pair under Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law, with the Sittwe Court delivering the verdict on Friday.

Junta personnel coerced reporter Ko Htet Aung into taking them to the DMG newsroom in Sittwe, before raiding the office and arresting watchman Ko Soe Win Aung. They confiscated newsroom equipment including cameras, computers and video editing equipment, documents, cash to pay DMG employees’ salaries and office equipment and materials, and also sealed off the building.

While the two men were being detained at the No. 1 Police Station, family members were denied a visit. The pair were sent to a junta interrogation centre at least two times. They were then remanded into custody under Section 65 of the Telecommunications Law and sent to Sittwe Prison. After the two completed their remand, the regime remanded them again in custody for one week on a fabricated charge of stealing a motorbike.

The regime changed the charge to Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law on December 1, 2023, over a DMG news story headlined “Calls for justice on sixth anniversary of Muslim genocide in Arakan State”, published on August 25, 2023.

Despite Police Captain Bo Bo Kyaw, the plaintiff in the case, failing to attend court hearings multiple times, the Sittwe Township Court sentenced Ko Htet Aung and Ko Soe Win Aung to five years in prison with hard labour on June 28.

Bo Bo Kyaw also filed a lawsuit against 18 other DMG reporters, editors and office staff employees under Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law. Currently, the 18 DMG employees are considered fugitives.

The prosecutions are just the latest to target DMG, which has faced similar court actions dating back to Myanmar’s pre-coup period.

DMG chief editor U Aung Marm Oo has been in hiding for more than five years, after the Myanmar Police Force’s Special Branch opened a case against him under Section 17(2) of the Unlawful Associations Act on May 1, 2019. More than a year and a half later, reporter Aung Kyaw Min was charged by the Road and Bridge Construction Special Group 4 at the instruction of the former, semi-civilian Arakan State government on December 14, 2020, under Section 66(d) of Telecommunications Law for his report “Maungdaw 3 rd Mile Bridge needs urgent repairs”, published on December 11, 2020.

Major Phone Myint Kyaw of the Myanmar military opened a case against female reporter Hnin Nwe and Deputy Editor-in-Charge Nay Win San under Section 66(d) over her report headlined “Tatmadaw personnel accused of looting paddy in Kyauktaw Twsp village”, published on January 10, 2021. The military also filed a defamation case at the township court under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code over the report. In early September 2022, the regime filed cases against Editor-in Charge Moe Zaw Myint under both Section 66(d) and Section 505(a) of the Penal code for alleged online defamation and incitement.

The military regime has shut down independent news outlets, arrested journalists, wielded the law arbitrarily, and interfered with journalists’ work and the public’s right to information in various ways, and continues to block internet access and phone lines, contributing to an environment of fear and keeping the public in the dark.

The military regime has meanwhile been committing mass killings and arrests of innocent civilians amid the ongoing armed conflict, and continues to suppress the media to cover up their actions.

The military regime’s sentence of five years’ imprisonment for the two DMG employees not only suppresses the media, but also infringes on freedom of the press, the right of journalists to be safe and secure, and the right of the people to know the truth.

DMG strongly condemns the regime’s unjust imprisonment of Ko Htet Aung and Ko Soe Win Aung, and urges international organisations and foreign governments to pressure the junta to release all journalists arrested under various dubious charges in prisons across the country, including the DMG staff facing charges behind bars or in absentia.

The Ministry of Interior has ordered Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) to disclose its bank account details within 30 days of the date of the letter, failing which they could face non-compliance and legal action in accordance with Article 30 of the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations.

“In case CENTRAL failed to fulfill its obligations, it is subject to legal actions in accordance with the law and other existing laws,” the statement read.

The notification by the ministry stated that it received complaints and statements from various unions, federations and associations in relation to CENTRAL’s report titled Barriers to Representation: Freedom of Association in Cambodia, which was criticized for being “biased and unfair”. They also mentioned that a “minority assessment of the overall situation does not reflect the reality of trade union freedom in Cambodia”. In addition, the report allegedly “dishonored the nation”, and “affected job stability” and the common interests of workers in Cambodia.

The ministry reminded CENTRAL that in accordance with Article 30 of the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations, CENTRAL must abide by its own statutes stored at the ministry.

Quoting the letter, Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak told CamboJA News that Article 10 of the law states that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are duty-bound to provide bank details to the ministry.

“So, what the ministry has [instructed] is based on the law. It is not against the law. However, CENTRAL’s annual report to the ministry is a different matter,” said Sokhak.

He said the ministry did not arrange a team to observe the NGO, but was only following the law on non-governmental organizations.

Moeun Tola, executive director of the CENTRAL, confirmed receiving the letter from the ministry and its 30-day deadline for bank information to be disclosed.

He said CENTRAL submitted its reports to the ministry every year, however they currently sought for the bank information. The NGO would “send it again” as nothing has changed regarding the account information.

“The strange thing is why the ministry wants it again [bank details]. For CENTRAL, we will send the report or bank information to the ministry again, because in the letter it says that if we do not send the information within 30 days, we will face the law,” Tola said.

Normally, NGOs send their reports to the ministry at the end of February every year. The reports include bank statements. Even “when they want to change bank accounts”, they need to inform the ministry, Am Sam Ath, operation director of Licadho, said.

Last week, 44 local organizations, including Licadho, published a joint statement “disagreeing” with the calls made by the public for a ministerial investigation into the finances and operation of CENTRAL.

“So, when we talk about bank accounts, each NGO complies [with the rules of the ministry]. Regarding bank information, CENTRAL did not have anything new or changed [anything] because they had already sent it. All organizations have auditors to ensure transparency,” he added.

He also mentioned that if other unions disagreed with CENTRAL’s report, they should conduct a new research or case study to show that the report did not represent the situation in Cambodia.

“The most important thing is that all sides want to highlight workers’ rights and freedom of unions. So, they should find a middle ground to talk and discuss rather than sue each other, as it is not looking good [now],” said Sam Ath.

About 10 members of the Confederation Union of Cambodia Bright Workers gathered last week to file a petition with the US Embassy in Cambodia, calling on the country director of USAID to consider providing funds to CENTRAL. They also asked USAID to advise CENTRAL to act transparently.

At the same time, Cambodia Worker’s Right Protection Union Confederation (CWPUC) filed a complaint against CENTRAL program manager Khun Tharo in the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on June 27.

According to a complaint sent by CWPUC to a prosecutor at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday, Tharo is alleged to have uttered the words “use fake unions to attack independent unions and use fake youths or civil societies to attack youths and independent civil society”.

CWPUC requested the prosecutor to review and decide on the legal action while demanding that Tharo pay a compensation of 100 million riel ($25,000) to CWPUC, which will be donated to Kantha Bopha Hospital.

Confederation Union of Cambodia Bright Workers general secretary Sea Kunthea declined to comment when CamboJA News contacted via phone and Telegram.

The Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) clarified that its report, which highlighted restrictions on freedom of association, was aimed at improving workers’ conditions and ensuring respect for the rights of trade unions and leaders.

The Ministry of Interior is currently investigating the allegations by unions and federations against the organization.

At the same time, Cambodia Worker’s Right Protection Union Confederation (CWPUC) has filed a complaint against CENTRAL program manager Khun Tharo in the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday.

Amid this, dozens of unions and federations have continued protesting against CENTRAL, saying that they “still cannot accept” the clarification.

On Wednesday, CENTRAL issued a clarification, stating that their report sought to highlight Better Factories Cambodia’s (BFC) assessment that freedom of association can create a safer and more respectful environment for Cambodian trade unions to operate.

“Our intention was to raise awareness for changes in compliance monitoring that would lead to more accurate, usable data for all workers in negotiations to improve their working conditions and exercise their rights,” the statement read.

“Many of the workers and unions that CENTRAL partnered with experienced restrictions in their ability to associate freely,” it said.

The report attempted to detail the experiences of union leaders and workers who participated in the study and show that what happened on the ground “was not always captured” in BFC’s public compliance data, due to various methodological, institutional, and logistical reasons.

“We fully acknowledge that our sample is not necessarily representative of Cambodia’s entire garment sector,” it said. “We would like to reiterate that we feel it is clear that the report was never intended as an attack on any party or institution nor was it intended to damage Cambodia’s reputation.”

CENTRAL mentioned that the report had a “very narrow scope with a small sample size” that was meant to be viewed as “illustrative”, “not necessarily representative of all Cambodian garment workers”.

In addition, a survey was conducted with one representative from 14 of the 24 participating unions from December last year. By June this year, six unions had dissolved because of factory closures, while the remaining four either “did not have compliance reports available or were not registered with BFC”.

Meanwhile, CWPUC has accused CENTRAL’s Tharo of public defamation and incitement to discrimination following an interview with RFA on June 15.

According to a complaint sent by CWPUC to a prosecutor at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday, Tharo is alleged to have uttered the words “use fake unions to attack independent unions and use fake youths or civil societies to attack youths and independent civil society”.

The complaint by CWPUC also alleged that Tharo’s statement was a “serious accusation without clear legal basis and infringed on the rights, freedoms and dignity of professional organizations (unions), defaming (them) as well as CWPUC”.

The CWPUC requested the prosecutor to review and decide on the legal action while demanding that Tharo pay a compensation of 100 million riel ($25,000) to CWPUC, which will be donated to Kantha Bopha Hospital.

CENTRAL’s Khun Tharo could not be reached for comment.

Phnom Penh Municipal court deputy prosecutor Plang Sophal did not reply to questions regarding the lawsuit via Telegram.

Separately, Confederation Union of Cambodia Bright Workers’ general secretary Sea Kunthea said CENTRAL acknowledged that its report was incomplete or not comprehensive and did not reflect the reality in Cambodia.

“I don’t accept [the statement] unless they edit the report that was released on June 4, 2024 to reflect the actual situation,” said Kunthea. By actual situation, she meant that there was no restriction on the freedom of association. Until CENTRAL changes the report, she will continue to protest, she vowed.

Kunthea said CENTRAL should not have released the report which talked about the restriction of freedom of association, particularly when Cambodia has approximately 6,000 unions present in about 1,000 factories. “Compare this to other countries, are there any which have the freedom [to set up] unions like our country?”

Echoing Khunthea, Kim Chan Samnang, president of the Cambodian Workers’ Rights Union, demanded that CENTRAL change its report as it does not represent the overall situation of unions and federations in the country.

“The statement of clarification is just an excuse because [what they meant in the] statement is opposite to their report,” he said, adding that the report has already been released publicly.

Samnang demanded that the Ministry of Interior review CENTRAL’s activity and their foreign funding.

International organizations, such as CIVICUS and garment industry labor alliance Clean Clothes Campaign, said pro-government unions have started a “coordinated effort” to convince the Interior Ministry to investigate CENTRAL’s operation and finance. It will further restrict civil society organizations’ space to exercise their rights to freedom of speech, which is essential for exercising the rights to freedom of association.

“It is extremely worrying that these groups are seeking to undermine and seek greater government control of the organization. These actions send a chilling message to human rights groups undertaking their work in the country,” the statement by CIVICUS read.

Forty-four local organizations, including rights group Licadho, published a joint statement “disagreeing” with the calls made by the public for a ministerial investigation into the finances and operation of CENTRAL.

The organizations said “using administrative measures to penalize the labor rights group’s work is a violation of freedom of expression”.

On Monday, it was reported that the Interior Ministry was planning to launch an investigation into CENTRAL’s operation and use of foreign funds. A petition was also submitted to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) by the unions and federations to reconsider its funding of CENTRAL.

On the same day, the Textile, Apparel, Footwear and Travel Goods Association in Cambodia (TAFTAC) issued a controversial statement, alleging that Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (CCAWDU) and Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU) also refuted the CENTRAL report.

However, CATU rejected the claim made by TAFTAC, which stated that the freedom of association in Cambodia was “better”, and it was “certainly so in the garment, footwear and travel goods sectors”.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Khieu Sopheak confirmed that an investigation committee is working on this issue.

“They are working, and the person who brings the information to them [CENTRAL] is [doing something] illegal,” he said. “Let the committee do it [inform CENTRAL],” Sopheak said, declining to comment further.

Neither USAID in Cambodia nor BFC responded to CamboJA News via email.

The International Labor Organization said it will respond by Friday.

The five Mother Nature activists arrested yesterday after being sentenced to 6-8 years in prison have been sent to five different prisons, some hundreds of kilometres from their residences and families. Splitting up activists to ensure they are detained far from each other and their families is a cruel and unusual punishment that has no precedent in Cambodia.

Thun Ratha was sent to Correctional Center 3 in Tbong Khmum province; Ly Chandaravuth to Kandal prison; Phuon Keoraksmey to Pursat provincial prison; Yim Leanghy to Kampong Speu prison; and Long Kunthea to Preah Vihear prison.

Sending people to prisons far away from their families and lawyers has been recognised as an infringement of people’s human rights by the United Nations. It is also a clear violation of the “Nelson Mandela Rules” for the humane treatment of prisoners, which calls for people in prison to be close to their homes.

The decision will make it more difficult for families and friends to visit these activists. It will undermine access to quality medical care. Access to timely legal consultation will be effectively impossible. There is no justification for this action, which will severely harm the mental and physical wellbeing of the activists and their families.

Thousands of people gathered for a glimpse of the funeral procession of the slain Pakistani rights activist Gilaman Wazir as his casket passed through towns and cities from Islamabad to his native village in the restive Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan about 250 miles away.

The procession was not covered by Pakistan’s mainstream media.

A member of the Pashtuns’ rights movement — Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, or PTM — Wazir (his name in documents was Hazrat Naeem) advocated for the rights of his people on digital platforms, using prose and poetry to convey his messages in short reels and TikTok videos and on social media platform X.

He was attacked in Islamabad on July 7 and succumbed to head injuries after four days. Police officials told VOA they have not found the men involved in the attack. PTM says it will investigate why he was killed.

Wazir’s activism on digital platforms incurred Pakistan’s anger when he was working as a laborer in Bahrain. He was arrested in Bahrain at Pakistan’s request and in 2020 and he was handed over to Pakistani authorities the same year.

“He was doing labor work in Bahrain. He was deported through Interpol and was put in jail. He was then kept in an internment center. He was bitten by dogs and was given electric shocks,” PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen said in his address to mourners gathered for a view of Wazir’s casket in different towns on July 11 and 12.

Pakistani officials have not responded to Pashteen’s charges.

Wazir has a series of reels, Facebook posts and TikTok videos that describe in his own poetry, in Pashto, his ordeal in the prisons.

PTM claims Wazir was picked up again by Pakistani authorities in July 2023, in Peshawar, but government officials did not confirm his whereabouts for about six months. He was later handed over to police and was released in late January 2024.

PTM says he was on the Exit Control List till his death. Anyone on the list is subject to restrictions on their movements outside the country.

Pakistani television networks and media outlets often cover protests and funeral processions, but there was silence in the mainstream media on the killing of Wazir.

Afrasiab Khattak, former head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, told VOA there is a ban on covering PTM activities in media. An army spokesperson told the media in April 2019 to stop reporting on the group.

"When the media cannot report the news about killings, like Gilaman's, or the dead bodies of Baloch, or missing people, then there will be questions,” said Peshawar-based author and academic Irfan Ashraf.

Social media platforms have filled the vacuum of information about Wazir. The hashtag #GilamanWazir was trending on the social media platform X in Pakistan on Thursday. Pakistan has banned X in the country, but more than 32,000 tweets mentioned Wazir in one day. Among others, former Afghan Presidents Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani offered condolences on Wazir’s killing in their tweets.

Government leaders in Islamabad have made no comment on the issue.

PTM staged huge pro-peace rallies after Islamabad announced last month it was launching a new military operation against terrorism. Wazir and Pashteen questioned the dividends of Pakistan’s dozen-plus previous military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Khattak said there is a trust deficit between the state and the people.

“The government is like a thin layer of onion on the face of [the] military. The army makes the decisions, and people don’t trust the generals,” he said.

Tens of thousands of people attended Wazir’s funeral in North Waziristan on Friday. They chanted against the Pakistan army, and some waved the three-color Afghan national flag, a message to Islamabad that they don’t accept Taliban in Kabul.

Political prisoner Truong Van Dung, who is serving a six-year prison sentence on allegations of “distributing anti-state propaganda,” received a disciplinary punishment in prison for two months, between June 20 and August 20, for the second time for allegedly “defaming the honor and dignity of others,” according to a notice dated June 21 sent to Dung’s family. Dung, 66, who is being held at Gia Trung Prison in Gia Lai Province, has been shackled and kept in a solitary cell for seven days as a punishment, his wife, Nghiem Thi Hop, said.

The prison’s notice declared that Dung had “insulted the honor and dignity of others as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 1 of the Regulation on Detention.” However, Hop told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that she believed her husband “had done nothing wrong” and that he was disciplined because he protested the wrongdoing of other correctional officers. She added that after the disciplinary order was lifted, Dung would only be allowed one visitation every two months instead of one every month.

Moreover, Hop told RFA that earlier this year, her husband was also held in solitary confinement for a month as a punishment for the same violation of prison regulations; he was not shackled at that time. She added that she sent Dung a gift bag by mail in the middle of this month, but the package was returned on June 24 because the prison refused to send it to him. Truong Van Dung was convicted under Article 117 of the Penal Code, which is frequently used to target human rights defenders and journalists in Vietnam.

On July 6, the Uttar Pradesh Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against journalist Zakir Ali Tyagi and four others for alleging on social media that a Muslim man had been lynched by a mob in the state’s Shamli district. As per multiple media reports, the four other that have been booked include Wasim Akram Tyagi, Asif Rana, Saif Allahbadi and Ahmad Raza Khan. It is essential to note that both Zakir Ali Tyagi and Wasim Akram Tyagi are journalists.

The above-named five persons have been booked for promoting enmity between different groups under section 196 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, and making statements conducive to public mischief under section 353 of the BNS. This comes after a social media post had been put out by Zakir Ali Tyagi on July 5, claiming that a man Firoz, or Kala Qureshi, had died in a mob lynching incident in the Jalalabad town of Shamli district. He also named the persons who had allegedly beaten-up Qureshi. Qureshi was a scrap worker with no criminal record, and was beaten to death over allegations of theft in the Jalalabad town of Shamli district. After his family protested, an FIR against three persons – Pankaj, Pinky and Rajendra – was lodged.

In the said social media post. Zakir Ali Tyagi had alleged that deceased Firoz was “killed by members of another community” on the suspicion of breaking into their house. The post had also been accompanied by a picture the deceased as well as the complaint that was filed by Qureshi’s family, who claimed that Qureshi had been beaten up by a group of men that had caused his death. As provided by Qureshi’s family, he had gone to the Aryanagar area for some work where he was beaten up by a group of three men – Pinky, Pankaj and Rajendra, all residents of Ganga Arya Nagar – around 8 pm. It was after reaching Qureshi being rescused by some men and reaching his house that Qureshi took his last breath around 11 pm, as stated by the police. It is essential to note that an FIR over the said incident had been registered under BNS Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) on July 5 based on the complaint filed by the family.

At around 4:00pm, a group of 20 to 30 men surrounded and assaulted Saif Bin Ayub, a sub-editor for the Daily Kalbela newspaper, and took his laptop, phone, other personal items while he was photographing alleged ballot stuffing by Awami League supporters inside a polling center in Dhaka, the journalist told CPJ.

The men pushed Bin Ayub against a wall and punched him, kicked him in the abdomen, and scratched him while forcibly removing his press identification card from around his neck. The perpetrators then dragged him out of the building as he requested help from police present at the scene, the journalist said.

Officers did not intervene and the beating continued outside for around 15 minutes, the journalist said, adding that he received his phone and broken laptop back later that day but not his wallet, wristwatch and other items, the CPJ report said.

An inquiry committee was formed on Thursday to investigate into the incident of beating Kuakata Press Club finance secretary Hossain Amir by the Mohipur police.

The committee, headed by the of Patuakhali district, Head of the committee Zubair Ahmed, Patuakhali district additional superintendent of police, visited the spot Thursday afternoon.

After the investigation, the committee would submit report within next three working days, district superintendent of police Saidul Islam confirmed working journalists of Kuakata, Mohipur and Patuakhali at his office after exchanging views with them.

Earlier Wednesday evening, journalist Hossain Amir was allegedly beaten and dragged into police van by sub-inspector Abdur Rob, constable Aziz and Al Amin of Mohipur police station while he was going to collect news of violence after the 12th national election.

Later, Mohipur police station officer-in-charge Anwar Hossain also assaulted the journalist.

After hearing about the incident, working journalists in Kuakata and Mohipur areas, rushed to the police station immediately.

Expressing strong condemnation and protest of the incident, Kuakata Press Club announced a human chain programme demanding the removal of Mohipur police station OC and other involved officers.

Later, SP Saidul Islam met with the journalists of Kalapara, Mohipur, Kuakata and Patuakhali at his office Thursday noon.

He assured the journalists to take action against those who found guilty in the incident through the investigation committee.

According to the source of the complaint, Taland Union Parishad Chairman Nazimuddin Babu was attacked by members and general secretary of Union Awami League Abul Hasan's people. After receiving the news, Sarwar went to the spot to gather news. He was attacked by Fishermen's League leader Idris and Jubo League leader Lalu. Idris tried to hit him on the head with a branch of the tree and Lalu hit different parts of his body.

Many journalists faced attacks and assaults by the ruling Awami League activists in the capital and other places while covering and exposing ballot stuffing and other irregularities during the 12th Jatiya Sangsad election on Sunday.

Journalists said that they were barred from taking pictures and footage of ballot stuffing and irregularities, mostly in the late hours of voting.

Several journalists of New Age faced threats, harassment, and verbal abuse from the Awami League activists at different polling centres in the capital while covering ballot stuffing.

Awami League activists threatened New Age correspondent Muktadir Rashid and photojournalist Sourav Laskar and asked them to leave as they visited Rajdhani High School centres at Manik Mia Avenue in the Dhaka-12 constituency in the afternoon.

‘At about 3:00pm, a group of supporters of the ruling party entered the polling centre and asked us to leave immediately,’ said Muktadir.

At one stage, a platoon of Border Guard Bangladesh reached the centre and asked the gathering to leave the place.

Later, at about 3:45pm, some of the youths, who introduced themselves as ‘volunteers,’ asked the journalists again to leave the centre immediately. The journalists, however, managed to stay until voting ended.

Two other New Age reporters, Nasir Uz Zaman and Tanzil Rahaman, were surrounded by some miscreants while reporting vote rigging at Khodeza Khatun Government Primary School, Centre-1 in the Dhaka-8 constituency.

Some youths were seen in the voting line repeatedly. Asked about their identities, some of them fled the scene, and a duty Ansar caught one with indelible ink on his thumb and a voter’s slip.

At that time, some youths wearing the badge of the Awami League’s electoral symbol boat surrounded reporters and threatened them, said Nasir.

Three journalists of the Daily Star were confined and threatened by the Awami League activists at a centre in Segunbagicha in the afternoon as they found some ruling party activists stuffing ballot boxes.

The Daily Star staff reporters Arafat Rahaman, Dipan Nandy, and Dhaka University correspondent Sirajul Islam Rubel were later rescued by police.

Rubel said that they had a tip-off about ballot stuffing at polling centres at Segunbagicha High School and went there to inquire about it around

2:00pm.

In the presence of journalists, two activists of the ruling party were barred by polling officials from voting since they were suspected of being fake voters. One of them was also handed over to the police.

The Awami League activists gathered inside the polling station, blamed the Daily Star journalists for the incident, and confined them there, said Rubel.

The activists verbally abused journalists and threatened them. Later, they were rescued by police, added Rubel.

Private broadcaster Jamuna Television journalist Mohiuddin Modhu was injured in an attack in Dhaka’s Nawabganj while covering vote rigging in the afternoon.

Mohiuddin said that he noticed a teen was trying to cast a ballot at the Dighirpar Government Primary School centre. The journalist tried to talk to him, but he fled, noticing the media presence there.

Later, supporters of the ruling Awami League chased and attacked the journalist. He was injured when brickbats were hurled at him by activists.

In Lalmonirhat, three journalists were attacked at the Pubrba Sardubi Primary School centre as they went there to report the confinement of independent candidate Ataur Rahman by Awami League supporters.

The journalists’ cameras were vandalised, too.

A journalist of daily Prothom Alo, Mosarraf Shah, was attacked by the activists of the ruling party as he went to Nasirabad Government Boys’ High School in Chattogram to report on vote rigging by Awami League activists.

The activists attacked the journalist, snatched away his cellphone, and removed pictures and videos captured of the rigging.

The secretary general-elect of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists faction, Kader Gani Chowdhury, told New Age that they had noticed that journalists faced assaults, attacks, threats, and harassment in different districts while covering the election and trying to expose irregularities.

‘We are collecting information on those incidents and will come up with details,’ said Kader Gani.

He blamed the ruling Awami League activists for the attacks.

The police headquarters officials did not respond to phone calls for their comments about the assaults on journalists.

15 to 20 men wearing Awami League badges attacked seven journalists, during their coverage of an assault on independent candidate Ataur Rahman outside a polling station in northern Lalmonirhat district, according to Rahim and Rana. ‘The men beat journalists with iron rods and bamboo sticks, beat and pushed others, and broke and confiscated multiple pieces of equipment including cameras and microphones.

Three journalists were injured in an attack by hartal supporters in Chandpur's Shahrasti. The incident took place in Uttarpara of Shorsak village of Suchipara North Union of Upazila at 10 am on Sunday.

It is known that during the incident, a group of hartal supporters clashed with the police striking force on their way to the local Cheriyara High School polling station. At that time, the attackers attacked the journalists while trying to take pictures of the incident. At that time, 3 journalists were injured by the glass bottles and bricks thrown by them.

The injured are - representative of Asian TV. Jamal Hossain, Daily Kalbela representative Swapan Karmakar Mithun and Alokit Chandpur newspaper representative Md. Hasanuzzaman. The injured received first aid locally.

On getting the news, the army, striking force and senior officials of the administration came and brought the situation under control.

Union Awami League general secretary. Kabir Hossain said that the attackers were supporters of BNP and Jamaat. They have carried out this attack to disrupt the elections.

At around 2:45 pm, around 20 to 25 men beat Mosharrof Shah, a correspondent for the daily newspaper Prothom Alo, after he photographed and filmed alleged ballot stuffing by Awami League supporters at a polling station in southeast Chittagong city, the journalist told CPJ.

Shah said that while speaking to an electoral officer about the incident, the men approached the journalist, took his notebook where he wrote what he observed, and deleted footage from his mobile phone in the presence of police. The men repeatedly slapped and punched Shah before he managed to flee the scene after around 30 minutes, the journalist told CPJ, adding that he received his phone back around one hour later with the assistance of his journalist colleagues.

Shah identified one of the perpetrators as Nurul Absar, general secretary of a local unit of the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League. Absar did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment.

Previously, on September 24, 2023, alleged members of the Chhatra League attacked Shah on the University of Chittagong campus.

At least 20 people including five journalists were injured in a clash between supporters of the Jamalpur-5 Awami League candidate and those of an independent candidate last night.

The incident took place in Kalibari area under Ranagacha union of Jamalpur Sadar upazila between 8:00pm and 8:30pm.

Independent candidate Rezaul Karim said his election campaign centre was vandalised by the AL candidate Abul Kalam Azad's supporters.

On the other hand, Md Baki Billah, coordinator of Azad's campaign, said supporters of Rezaul Karim carried out an attack on AL workers.

At least three motorcycles were set on fire during the clash, and both parties claimed ownership of the torched bikes.

At least 20 people were injured, including Belayat Hossain Shanto, cameraman of Channel-I; Asmaul Asif, journalist of NTV; Ashikur Rahman of Sramik Barta; Salauddin Ahmed Mithu of Daily Desh Sangam; and Nipul Zakaria of Bijay Bangladesh, reports our local correspondent.

Confirming the incident, Officer-in-Charge of Jamalpur Sadar Police Station, Md Mohabbat Kabir, said Belayat Hossain Shanto, Ashikur Rahman and several others were admitted to Jamalpur General Hospital.

Following the incident, supporters of the independent candidate blocked the Jamalpur-Mymensingh highway.

On information, OC Mohabbat Kabir and members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) visited the spot. Additional policemen were deployed in the area.

After an hour of trying, police removed the blockade and brought the situation under control, the OC said.

He said he visited Kalibari area after hearing about the incidents of burning three motorcycles and vandalising an election campaign centre.

"Necessary steps will be taken after investigation," the OC added.

A demonstration commemorating International Labor Day or May Day, May 1 2024 at the Makassar State University Campus, South Sulawesi, ended in chaos. Local police officers arrested five people who were considered provocateurs.

"We have arrested five people, we have trained the others (dozens). We have handed them over to the campus," said Makassar Police Chief Commissioner Mokh Ngajib at the UNM Makassar campus, Wednesday evening (2/5/2024).

A demonstration commemorating International Labor Day or May Day, May 1 2024 at the Makassar State University Campus, South Sulawesi, ended in chaos. Local police officers arrested five people who were considered provocateurs.

The incident started when students burned used tires in front of Jalan Pendidikan, next to the local campus, when the demonstration time ended after sunset, then the authorities fired tear gas to break up the demonstration, so that the protest participants ran into the campus.

The officers then rushed into the campus to the student secretariat and immediately arrested dozens of students. At the same time, members found five people drinking traditional Ballo liquor and confiscated five bottles as evidence.

"It was (secured) after the action was over. There was a burning of tires there and we controlled it, then we entered here (campus). Coincidentally, there were several people burning (tyres). There was Ballo drinking (five people), but we have secured it. "The situation is safe, orderly and under control," he explained to journalists.

The five people who were suspected of consuming Ballo alcohol were detained by officers at the police station, while dozens of other students were gathered in the campus area to be given direction from the police and then handed over to the UNM campus for guidance.

About the Human Rights Defender: HRD Anita Kushwaha 36, used to live in Raipur. After marriage, Anita settled in Brijesh's village, Salempur, in Deoria Uttar Pradesh. Besides farming, she also had a small shop for sewing bags for livelihood. In addition to this, she worked to educate and organize women, especially Dalit women, in villages around Deoria through the Savitribai Phule platform. After the farmers' movement, Anita, along with her husband Brijesh, started organizing farmers with the United Farmers Front. Last year, after becoming pregnant, she went to her parents' home in Raipur.

Details of the Incident: When Ms. Anita was five months pregnant. She went to live with her parents at Raipur Chhattisgarh. On October 18, 2023, she was picked up by Anti-Terrorism Squad Uttar Pradesh from HRD’s residence. Her family was not informed about HRD Anita Kushwaha’s arrest. She was deliberately forced to travel so long distance by train and jeeps while she was advised bed rest by her doctor. As a result, her health deteriorated in Lucknow jail, and despite submitting numerous petitions, the jail administration did not make proper arrangements for her treatment. On December 09, 2023 she suffered a miscarriage. She was implicated in false cases under sections - 120 B, 121 A, 419,420,467,468,471 IPC and 13,18,38 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. She suffered mental trauma and still in Lucknow jail.

The livelihoods of fisherfolk in Zambales have been largely affected by the rising tension in the West Philippine Sea and the lower catch due to recurring seasonal loss called “sigwada.” But instead of due assistance, they are subjected to so-called “visits” and interrogation by soldiers.

Fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) once again raised alarm over incidents of harassment experienced by fishers in Zambales.

Pamalakaya said fishers who joined their group’s two-day fishing expedition last May 30 to 31 in Zambales have been experiencing a series of harassment from members of the Philippine Army.

According to Pamalakaya-affiliated Panatag Fisherfolk Association, fisherfolk in Masinloc town were first visited by a soldier belonging to the 69th Infantry Battalion on June 1. The soldier asked the association’s president about the fishing expedition and other information about the group, including the whereabouts of their members.

The same soldier returned on June 12 and attempted to talk to the local leader of the town, but failed. The official then proceeded to question the members of the association, prodding them with the same questions and fishing information about the group and Pamalakaya.

This time, the members of the association said that the army officer was also showing them photos of some of the organizers of Pamalakaya and accusing them as alleged recruiters of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The last incident they recorded was on June 13, when an army officer went to the houses of fisherfolk who joined the fishing exhibition. According to the members, they were also asked the same questions about the expedition and the group.

Because of the increasing cases of harassment against its members, Pamalakaya filed a letter of complaint with the Commission of Human Rights over the weekend.

In a letter addressed to CHR Chair Richard Palpal-latoc, the group called for an on-site investigation in Masinloc town where the members are reportedly being harassed.

They claimed that during the “visits” the Philippine Army red-tagged their members. This, they added, goes against the Supreme Court ruling on the dangers of red-tagging.

“The military should have no business with Pamalakaya’s members and the organization’s legitimate activities,” said Pamalakaya in their complaint.

The livelihoods of fisherfolk in Zambales have been affected by the rising tension in the West Philippine Sea. They are also experiencing lower catch due to recurring seasonal loss called “sigwada.”

Apart from the incidents cited above, another elderly leader of Pamalakaya was also earlier subjected to harassment.

“Instead, the military should be securing our territorial waters and protecting our fishers against foreign aggressors, not surveilling fisherfolk who actively uphold their fishing rights,” the group added.

Karapatan also documented a case of harassment against a farmer in Negros Occidental. Human Rights Alliance of Negros (HRAN) reported that on June 13, Evelyn Manait, a member of the Ituman-Bukidnon tribe, was harassed in her house in Barangay Amontay, Binalbagan. Eight men in civilian clothes interrogated her on the whereabouts of her husband and brother-in-law. The said men accused them of being members of the New People’s Army.

“Manait answered that her husband had gone to another town to sell mangoes and denied knowing where her brother-in-law was. She later learned that the men were elements of the 62nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army,” Palabay said.

According to the HRAN, Manait now fears for her safety after the incident.

Meanwhile, on June 19 in Batangas, a man who identified himself as a police officer asked barangay officials in Bauan, Batangas for the whereabouts of Tanggol Batangan paralegal Juvie Ann Biding.

Karapatan said that as a human rights worker, Biding has been providing services to political prisoners in their province. She has also been involved in various humanitarian missions in Batangas and other parts of Southern Tagalog.

Biding has reported being under surveillance and harassed multiple times since April this year and has filed a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights, Karapatan added.

“These forms of harassment and threats are committed with impunity by State security forces, as sanctioned by the Marcos administration through its counterinsurgency program. Karapatan calls on human rights advocates and the public to strongly denounce these rights violations which are a prelude to worse forms of violations as military operations continue in rural areas,” Palabay said.

Human rights group Karapatan denounced a series of raids and harassment against peasant leaders and rights advocates.

The latest incident happened on June 18 in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan where soldiers ransacked the house of Tanggol Magsasaka Secretary-General and Spokesperson Ronnie Manalo.

Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of Karapatan, said in a statement that these incidents may be a “prelude to a major crackdown against peasant leaders, activists and farmers’ rights advocates.”

According to KMP, soldiers forcibly entered Manalo’s unoccupied house at around 7:00 am on June 18. The group said that the soldiers, reportedly belonging to the 80th Infantry Battalion, illegally searched Manalo’s house and claimed to have found a firearm. Just like in previous raids of activists’ houses and offices, KMP stressed that the evidence was fabricated.

Karapatan added that the soldiers who interrogated Manalo’s relative were not accompanied by police officers or village officials.

On the same day at around 10:30 am, soldiers went to the house of 63-year old Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan (AMB) Chairperson, Cecilia Rapiz in barangay Paradise 3, San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan asking for her whereabouts.

“Local residents reported seeing a company-size group of soldiers along the common boundaries of barangays San Roque, Paradise 3 and Tungkong Mangga. Checkpoints have reportedly been set up in the area, preventing residents of San Roque and Paradise 3 from leaving their villages,” Palabay said. She added that the planting of a firearm in Manalo’s residence “shows that State forces are concocting a trumped-up case of illegal possession of firearms against him.”

The villages of San Roque, Paradise 3 and Tungkong Mangga are known as a major source of produce for the Bagsakan Bungkalan Farmers Market, a farm-to-market project of the KMP that holds bazaars in different parts of Metro Manila to sell lower-priced fruits and vegetables grown by farmers nationwide. Rapiz is known to be among the active producer-sellers for Bagsakan.

According to KMP, farmers have observed an increased presence of soldiers in civilian communities over the weekend. “Almost a hundred combined forces of soldiers from the 80th IBPA, PNP-SAF, and SWAT started conducting operations in at least six sitios in the SJDM villages of Barangay San Roque, Barangay Paradise 3, and Barangay Tungkong Mangga, merely 25 kilometers away from Quezon City proper. The said military operations in the peasant communities of SJDM are causing intense fear and distress among residents and farmers.”

Both Manalo and Rapiz were victims of persistent red-tagging, threat, harassment and intimidation by state forces defending their land rights.

Farmers are defending their rights in San Jose Del Monte as their land is reportedly being grabbed by the Aranetas.

In 2022, KMP said Manalo and Rapiz were frequently visited by the military. Manalo, in particular, was part of a team of farmers and peasant advocates in 2022 who were fired upon and harassed by goons hired by Araneta Properties Inc. in Sitio Ricafort, Tungkong Mangga in SJDM.

On July 8, Arunachal police detained two anti-dam activists claiming that they were likely to cause a 'public order issue', on the same day that the Union power minister visited Itanagar to review the status of several hydropower projects

The day-long detainment of two anti-dam activists on Monday, July 8, in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, was equivalent to harassment and a violation of the democratic rights of indigenous communities, said several environmental and human rights organisations.

The state police arrested lawyer and anti-dam activist Ebo Mili and convenor of the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum Dugge Apang on July 8, claiming that they were likely to cause a “public order issue”. The two activists were later released on the same day after signing a bond that they would not participate in activities for the next year that might ‘breach the peace’.

The activists, incidentally, were hoping to organise a peaceful demonstration in the city on July 8 and meet Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar in person and hand over a memorandum at the Itanagar secretariat, for which they were in the process of taking necessary permissions from the deputy commissioner. Khattar was in the city to review hydropower projects with state government officials, including the controversial 11,000-megawatt Upper Siang multipurpose power project.

Two anti-dam activists were detained for an entire day

On the morning of July 8, Arunachal police arrested lawyer and anti-dam activist Ebo Mili at Itanagar. The police took Mili into preventive custody. On the same day, Arunachal police also arrested Dugge Apang, another anti-dam and pro-river activist in Itanagar. Apang is the convenor of the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF).

According to the Indian Express, the Itanagar police said in a statement that they took this action after “reliable sources” reported that both Mili and Apang were “likely to disrupt the forthcoming public meeting involving the Honorable Chief Minister and Union Ministers” on July 8 and “attempt to cause a public order issue.” The police took this “preventive action”, to “maintain public order”, they said in a statement quoted by Hindustan Times.

The Arunachal police ultimately released both Mili and Apang on Monday evening — but only after both signed a bond promising not to participate in further activities that may be considered “breaching the peace” for one year.

Mili is no stranger to being apprehended for crimes he has not committed. In August last year, the state police detained him for staging a peaceful protest outside a banquet hall in Itanagar, where the Bharatiya Janata Party government was engaged in signing memoranda of understanding with public sector undertakings to continue the construction of 12 stalled hydropower projects in the state.

As per the Indian constitution, it is not against the law to protest peacefully, Mili, a lawyer, told The Wire on July 9.

“I was made to sign a bond, and placed under monitoring for one year,” Mili told The Wire. “But yesterday the police could not file an FIR against me because I had not done anything to breach the peace, so they made me sign another bond for one more year.”

As per news reports, the state police detained both Mili and Apang under Section 128 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) that states that an Executive Magistrate can require a person to show cause why the person should not be ordered to execute a bond or bail bond for his good behavior for a period of time not exceeding one year, if the Magistrate feels that there is reason to believe that the person could commit a cognizable offence.

While the law permits the police can detain individuals if they are “apprehensive” that their actions might affect public order, the law also makes it clear that this power should not be abused, Mili told The Wire.

Violation of democratic rights

The Indian Express quoted members of the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum as saying that they had no intention to disrupt the day’s events and that the activists were in the process of seeking permission from the Deputy Commissioner for a peaceful demonstration in Itanagar town, to hand a memorandum to Khattar in person at the Itanagar Secretariat.

The Wire accessed a copy of the letter that the activists were hoping to file for seeking permission for this. The letter clearly states that permission was being sought for a “peaceful demonstration against the rampant building of dams and the sale of our land”, and specified the location of the demonstration in Itanagar as well.

Several environmental and human rights organisations have come out in support of Mili and Apang, and condemned their “unlawful” detainment. The Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur, (CRA) and Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) expressed their concerns at the detention of both Mili and Apang in a press note on July 8.

“The arbitrary detention of Advocate Ebo Mili and Mr. Dunge constitute a harassment and violation of fundamental rights of indigenous human rights defenders for raising legitimate concerns with large hydropower projects over the Siang and Dibang River basins in Arunachal Pradesh,” the CRA and ACT said in their press note.

The duo’s “arbitrary detention” without an arrest warrant represents “a violation of democratic rights enshrined under India’s constitution and the indigenous peoples’ rights, as guaranteed under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007”, the press note declared.

The press note also called on the Government of India to stop the “arbitrary detention” of Mili and Apang and “to stop all forms of harassment of indigenous human rights defenders for asserting their indigenous rights and concerns with unsustainable development”.

How is it even possible to detain the two activists when they hadn’t done anything, and when they hadn’t even been given an opportunity to present their letter to the Deputy Commissioner to seek permission for the peaceful march, asked a member of the local community who did not want to be named.

“They’re even trying to control how we think, let alone act,” the resident, from an indigenous community in the state, told The Wire. “This is very concerning, also because of the timely coincidence of the [amended] FCA which cites national security and defense as a reason for getting away with such projects that have a huge impact on our lands and people.”

The Union government recently amended the Forest Conservation Amendment Act of 1980. One of the new clauses that the legislation includes is that projects coming up in areas within 100 km of India’s borders will not require forest clearance, unlike before. Experts have pointed out how this, and a few other new clauses added as part of the amendment to the FCA can result in huge tracts of forest land being opened up to developmental activities and tourism.

Minister reviews the status of hydro projects

The Union minister for power, Manohar Lal Khattar, arrived at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, on July 8.

“Reviewed various ongoing hydropower projects, comprehensive scheme of transmission & distribution and the revamped distribution sector scheme in the state,” Khattar posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on July 8. “Arunachal Pradesh has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to enhancing its power infrastructure, resulting in significant strides in sustainability.”

Chief minister Pema Khandu who also took part in the discussions claimed that they are “committed to overcoming any challenges” to expedite the completion of hydropower projects in the state. “These projects are not only vital for meeting the state’s power needs but also for contributing to the national grid and boosting our economy,” he tweeted.

Among the 60-odd hydropower projects being planned in the state is also the 11,000 megawatt Upper Siang multipurpose project, which has been pushed forward as a counter to China’s dam on the Brahmaputra. However, local communities have raised several concerns including loss of crucial forest and community land, among others.

Thousands of students in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on Thursday continued their street protests by blocking the capital’s Shahbagh intersection and major highways including Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Chattogram, Chattogram–Khagrachari, Dhaka-Barishal and Dhaka-Rajshahi, demanding cancellation of the High Court order for restoring a 30 per cent quota for freedom fighters’ children and grandchildren in government jobs.

Dhaka University students, meanwhile, alleged that ruling Awami League-backed student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders and activists barred students at different halls of residence from joining the protests.

The day’s protests intensified following the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the morning refused to stay the High Court verdict that asked the government on June 5 to restore the 30 per cent quota for the children and grandchildren of freedom fighters while recruiting cadre and non-cadre officers in the civil service.

DU students brought out a procession from in front of the university’s central library at about 11:00am and after marching around all halls of residence of the university, Teacher-Student Centre, Raju Memorial Sculpture ended at Shahbagh Intersection at about 12 noon.

Then the students blocked the intersection from 12 noon to 6:10pm for the third consecutive day defying rain.

The six-hour long blockade at the capital’s major intersection caused severe traffic congestion in and around Banglamotor, Karwan Bazar, Kataban, Elephant Road, Hatirpool, Nilkhet, Segun Bagicha and Press Club areas and people and vehicles, including ambulances carrying dying patients, suffered immensely,.

Nahid Islam, coordinator of the Students Movement against Discrimination, an anti-quota movement platform, announced a fresh three-day programme till Sunday, including the online and in-person programme on Friday.

‘We urge all students to bring out protest processions in all universities and colleges at 3:00pm across the country,’ Nahid said, urging all students to boycott all classes and exams on Sunday.

The protesting students’ four-point demand include cancelling the High Court order that restored the quota system, upholding the 2018 government circular, ensuring merit-based recruitment in the public service, giving appointment to qualified candidates from the merit list if any eligible candidates are not found in quotas for marginalised communities.

A large number of Dhaka University students tried to join the protests and they allegedly faced intimidation by the BCL leaders and activists.

At Surja Sen Hall, BCL leaders and activists closed the hall gate and stood there and the situation became tense when protesting students brought out processions to join the protests.

The agitating students opened the gate and came out of the hall to join the movement chanting slogans against the BCL activists terming them as ‘fake’.

Alongside Surja Sen Hall, the BCL leaders also took position at Bijoy Ekattor Hall’s gate to obstruct the agitating students.

The BCL reportedly created obstruction in several other halls, including Kabi Jasim Uddin Hall, AF Rahman Hall and Shahid Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall.

Denying the allegations, BCL DU unit general secretary Tanbir Hasan Shaikat termed those as baseless and fabricated.

He said that the BCL did not obstruct anyone from joining the quota reform movement.

Several hundred students of Jahangirnagar University blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway for about one hour for a fourth straight day on Thursday as the Appellate Division refused to issue a stay order on the HC verdict, New Age correspondent in JU reported.

About three kilometers of tailbacks were created on both lanes of the country’s one of the busiest highways due to the blockade from 12:15pm to 1:00pm on the day.

In Cumilla, a five-kilometre long tailback was created on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway as the students of Cumilla University put up barricades on the highway and many vehicles were seen stuck till 4:00pm on both sides of the highway.

In Barishal, vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Barishal highway remained suspended since this noon as Barishal University students put up barricades, United News of Bangladesh in Barishal reported.

Braving heavy rain in Rajshahi, several thousands of Rajshahi University students staged demonstrations and blocked the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway in front of the university main entrance gate for one hour and a half to press home their demands.

At around 10:40am, they took position on the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in front of the university main entrance and blocked the highway till 12:10pm, said witnesses.

Students of Chittagong University blocked Chattogram–Khagrachari highway while Shahjalal University of Science and Technology held rallies and sit-ins in front of the main entrance of the university.

On October 4, 2018, the government issued a circular abolishing all the 56 per cent quotas in the public service in the wake of street protests by the public university students and jobseekers demanding reforms to the quota system introduced in 1972.

Until the abolition, about 56 per cent of government jobs were reserved for candidates from various quotas. Of them, 30 per cent were for freedom fighters’ children and grandchildren, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for people of underdeveloped districts, 5 per cent for ethnic communities and 1 per cent for physically challenged people.

On 4 July 2024, the Pervomaiskii District Court of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan ruled to place human rights defender and whistleblower Zhoomart Karabaev in Pre-trial Detention center no. 1. The accusations against him are based on his social media posts, which authorities have argued are an “incitement of mass public discord”, a criminal offense stipulated by the Part 3 of Article 278 of the Criminal Code of Kyrgyzstan. The human rights defender was sentenced to remain in detention until August 19, 2024. Zhoomart Karabaev is a human rights defender, an academic, and a whistleblower from Kyrgyzstan. In 2024, he systemically blew the whistle on how the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan signed expert reviews, which then commonly became the only grounds to sentence state critics in Kyrgyzstan, pre-drafted by the State Committee for National Security. In May 2024, Zhoomart Karabaev provided a witness testimony during the trial of writer Olzhobai Shakir on the nature of the evidentiary support presented by the state authorities. He has also written on social media in regards to these practices, calling for an end to the unjust persecution of state critics. On 2 July 2024, the State Committee for National Security Officers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, arrested human rights defender Zhoomart Karabaev, brought him in for questioning, and detained him for 48 hours. On 4 July 2024, the Pervomaiskii District Court of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, ruled to place the human rights defender in pre-trial detention in Pre-Trial Detention Center no.1. The accusations against him are based on his social media posts, where he discussed the current wave of persecution against civil society actors, as well as the authorities' failure to acknowledge corruption in the National Academy of Science. The authorities have argued that the human rights defender's posts are an “incitement of mass public discord,” a criminal offense stipulated by Part 3 of Article 278 of the Criminal Code of Kyrgyzstan. Zhoomart Karabaev’s lawyers argue that this persecution is in retaliation for him blowing the whistle on the manner in which the State pressured him and other academics to produce many supposed “expert opinions” for high-level criminal cases against human rights defenders, journalists, and others. These would then support the state’s position in sentencing vocal critics of the state. Such expert opinions are often used as the only incriminating evidence in criminal cases against persons exercising their freedom of expression, including recent cases such as the Kloop media shutdown and trial against women human rights defenders from the Committee to Protect Kempir-Abad. After Zhoomart Karabaev blew the whistle in the Spring of 2024, he was fired from his post as an expert at the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan after refusing to rubberstamp precooked expert opinions prepared by the State Committee for National Security. The leadership of the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan also threatened the human rights defender with retaliation, accusing him of treason.Front Line Defenders condemns the pre-trial detention of human rights defender and whistleblower Zhoomart Karabaev as it believes it constitutes a form of retaliation for his legitimate and peaceful human rights work of exposing state corruption. The organization is gravely concerned with the wave of repressions faced by human rights defenders and journalists in Kyrgyzstan. Front Line believes that targeting human rights defenders has a harmful effect on the peaceful and legitimate work of human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan.

Reports indicate that the Taliban have detained Yama Maqsudi, a civil activist, and taken him to an unknown location.

Yama Maqsudi, who has German citizenship, arrived in Kabul from Germany on Wednesday, May 8, to visit his relatives, and was detained ten days later in district four of the city of Kabul.

The Afghanistan International news network, citing Maqsudi's relatives, reported that the civil activist was arrested by Taliban intelligence agents. So far, the Taliban have not made any statements in this regard, and the reason for Maqsudi's detention remains unknown.

In 2019, Maqsudi received the Federal Cross of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany for his work on “pluralism, mutual acceptance and social justice.” The Federal Cross of Merit is the highest decoration in Germany, awarded since 1951 by the President of Germany to individuals who have provided outstanding service in various areas, including politics, economics, culture, spirituality and volunteerism.

Members of Maqsudi's family have reportedly attempted to contact the Taliban to find out his whereabouts, but the Taliban have refused to provide information.

Maqsudi's relatives have expressed concern because he suffers from diabetes and needs regular medication. They fear that his health will be in serious danger if he does not receive his medication.

According to available information, Yama Maqsudi has worked in recent years in defense and cooperation with refugees in Germany.

Mumbai’s Jai Bhim Nagar colony saw a hoard of demolitions on June 6th which also left several injured as they protested the demolition of their homes and tried to save their belongings.

On 6th June, just two days after the results for India’s 18th Lok Sabha elections were announced, Mumbai’s most marginalised saw their homes raised to the ground. Not just that, over 35 people were injured in the process.

The area called Jai Bhim Nagar witnessed a brutal demolition undertaken under the supervision of the police and municipal corporation officials. Armed with JCBs, cranes, and other heavy machinery, the officials entered the area without warning and started the demolition of homes.

This operation was conducted in a hasty manner; many residents were unable to save their personal belongings and valuables. Scores of people even reportedly lost their valuable documents in the process as they were not allowed to enter the area. Many locals have claimed that the demolitions took place due to certain builders, though there is little clarity on the official’s motivations. NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad has asked why private bouncers were present at the demolition.

Furthermore, there have been no resettlement or rehabilitation related arrangements made for the displaced residents. The demolition did not just leave scores of families homeless but also destroyed their personal and essential property leaving them homeless. Indian Express reported that the residents had protested the demolition, and had invoked Dr B R Ambedkar when the police came. The colony reportedly housed over 500-600 ‘jhuggies.’

However, the demolition did not just lead to displaced residents but also saw reports of harrowing violence and arrests. Children and the elderly were especially affected. Several videos circulating on social media have shown police officers beating residents, including children and the elderly. As per reports, about 66 and 75 people have been arrested and detained in Byculla and Taloja jails.

A Government Resolution (GR) issued by the state explicitly mentions that no ‘jhuggi; or house, regardless of whether it is on government or private land, can be demolished between June 1 and September 30 due to the monsoon season. Despite this clear order, the recent demolition in Jai Bhim Nagar has taken place, leaving many homeless at a time when Mumbai’s weather will also be at its most difficult for displaced people.

The police have justified these arrests by alleging that the people were involved in stone-pelting incidents. However, residents allege that the violence was provoked by goons hired by a builder who had vested interests in the demolition.

Meanwhile, civic officials have stated that the structures were erected illegally and conveyed that the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) had directed the removal of these structures. According to them, notices were served to the slum-dwellers on June 1.

On June 9th, a peaceful protest was taken out by civil society organisations, activists, and citizens of the Jai Bhim Nagar Powai Rescue Committee at Jai Bhim Nagar to protest what they say are illegal demolitions carried out by the BMC.

They raised three crucial demands which include the demand for resettlement for all residents or the return of land rebuilding their homes. Secondly, they have also asked that compensation be given to the people for the damages caused by the police during the demolition, and lastly, they have asked that all charges against those detained and arrested be withdrawn.

Sabrang India reported, narratives from the ground, saying that they also demand strict action against the MCGM and police officers responsible for the demolition which is violation of the state government’s GR. “We call for an investigation into the role of a builder in inciting violence and hiring private bouncers to act on behalf of the state. If our demands are not met, we will continue our ongoing struggle.”

Hong Kong police arrested four people on the 35th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Among them, an elderly woman was apprehended on suspicion of acting with seditious intention under the city’s new, homegrown security law.

Two men and two women were arrested around Causeway Bay on Tuesday, which marked 35 years since Beijing sent the People’s Liberation Army to put an end to a months-long democracy movement led by students in China.

It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, died in the military crackdown.

No more vigils Hong Kong used to be one of the few places on Chinese soil where annual vigils were held to commemorate the victims who died in the 1989 crackdown. But police banned the gathering at Causeway Bay’s Victoria Park for the first time in 2020 citing Covid-19 restrictions, and imposed the same ban in the following year.

No official commemoration has been held since the vigil organiser – Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China – disbanded in September 2021.

Causeway Bay on Tuesday saw extensive police presence with uniform and plainclothes officers stationed at nearly every corner. Counter Terrorism Response Unit personnel were on standby outside the SOGO mall, while an armoured vehicle drove along Hennessy Road in the evening.

From late afternoon onward, several people were taken aside or stopped and searched by police.

‘Seditious intention’ Police told HKFP shortly after midnight on Wednesday that a 68-year-old woman had been arrested under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the city’s new security law enacted in March and known locally as Article 23. She allegedly committed “crimes related to seditious intention” by chanting slogans on Yee Wo Street in the afternoon.

Local media cited sources saying the arrestee was activist Alexandra Wong, nicknamed “Grandma Wong,” who was often seen at the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

A 24-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman were said to have “acted suspiciously in public” on Yee Wo Street at night. Police said the man had attacked two officers after the pair was intercepted, and he was later arrested on suspicion of assaulting police. The woman was apprehended for alleged public disorder.

Police also arrested a 23-year-old man in a park in Hing Fat Street for common assault after he allegedly attacked two security guards. HKFP witnessed security guards surround a young man wearing a black shirt in Victoria Park, shielding him from view with five or six umbrellas. The man was heard calling for help, telling HKFP: “[The security guards] said I had a book about Xi Jinping’s governance of China. They said it was against the rules.”

Police said three men and two women, aged between 27 and 88, were taken to police stations for investigation after they allegedly breached the peace. They were all released afterwards.Swiss photographer Marc Progin and a woman were taken aside by police near SOGO at around 8.40 pm on Tuesday before being put into a police vehicle. He told HKFP on Wednesday that police said they were unable to check Progin and a friend’s identification documents while they were surrounded by the press, and thus the pair was escorted into the vehicle.

Progin and his friend were sent to to Wan Chai police headquarters after officers said they could not release them at the scene with “such a mess around.” The duo were interviewed and searched at the police station and were later released at around 11 pm.

On Monday night, artist Sanmu Chan was stopped, questioned and taken away by police in Causeway Bay on the eve of the Tiananmen crackdown anniversary, as he sought to partake in some performance art. He was later released without being arrested.

Separate to the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of to up to 16 days, and suspects’ access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city’s opposition-free legislature.

The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and “regressive.” Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to “close loopholes” after the 2019 protests and unrest.

Citizen journalist Ms. Zhang Zhan was released from Shanghai Women’s Prison on May 13 after serving four years in prison on charges related to her documentation and report on the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan. Recently, Zhang Zhan was warned by Shanghai police not to touch the “red line.”

Ms. Wang Jianhong, a British activist and founder of the Zhang Zhan Concern Group, said, “Zhang Zhan, a prominent Chinese citizen journalist, sent a message on June 9 on her WeChat Moments that she was being questioned and threatened by the Xuanqiao police station of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau’s Pudong branch. The police warned her that if she touched the “red line” again, she would go in again (referring to jail). In her post, Zhang Zhan said: “Whose red line are you all protecting? Is the life of the people the red line? Or is it “the opinion of superiors”? I don’t want to go in (to jail), and I’m not the one who should go in.

On May 29, Zhang Zhan shared her weaknesses, fears, and hopes as a Christian on the Christian house church’s online networking platform, Five O’Clock in the Afternoon in China. She immediately broke down in tears when she appeared in the video, tearfully saying that she is not strong and loves to cry. While in prison, she prayed for healing for her cellmate’s illness, and it was amazing that God heard and answered her prayer. Even though she is still under surveillance and has no freedom after her release, she wants to attend Sunday worship and meet with her brothers and sisters. She wept several times during the sharing. She is thankful for everyone’s continued prayers for her.

In the video, she recounted how the experience of being with God in prison produces gratitude, not a single complaint, but rather pure and ultimate joy. This experience showed her that the Kingdom of Heaven exists and that the suffering in the world is temporary.

It is not known whether the subpoena has anything to do with her remarks in this video. Did she cross over a “red line” simply by the act of appearing in the video?

After Zhang Zhan’s release, friends at home and abroad were very concerned about her health. Shanghai lawyer Peng Yonghe broke through the resistance as soon as possible and successfully visited Zhang Zhan; however, on May 31, Peng was summoned by the local police to Xuanqiao police station, which has jurisdiction over where he was, and a number of his electronic products were seized. The police did not produce any paperwork.

In the earliest stages of the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the population of China was simply unfamiliar with the new virus and the disaster it was going to cause. In 2020, Zhang Zhan’s reporting from the ground in Wuhan symbolized the public’s mistrust of the government’s handling of the initial outbreak and their desire for unfiltered, truthful information. She was on the front lines of the pandemic, deep in the corridors of hospitals, where a city of 11 million people was as silent as a dead city, its streets empty. Soon the crackdown began, the country went into a tight lockdown, and she was silenced, arrested and imprisoned.

Unfortunately, China sees those who document the truth as forces of social destabilization, not realizing that stifling the voice of society is the root of true unrest. Many of those who have tried to speak out on behalf of Zhang Zhan within China seem to have been targeted as well. Zhang Zhan’s personal freedom is an indicator of the rule of law in China. There may be division amongst the officials and private citizens, but both sides want Chinese society to make more remarkable strides.

The People’s Republic of China must unconditionally respect the fundamental human rights of its own great citizen, Ms. Zhang Zhan, and ChinaAids call on the government of China to immediately cease its restrictive measures against her, including surveillance, censorship, harassment and intimidation.

Kingsrich Myanmar Fashion garment factory workers in Shwepyitha Township held a protest on Monday calling for a daily wage increase. The Burma Army later quelled the protest. DVB was unable to confirm if arrests were made. “They asked who the leader of the protest was but everyone said it did not have one,” an anonymous source close to the workers told DVB. The garment factory produces clothing for Swedish fashion retailer H&M. Workers there report that they have been barred from forming a labor union. Negotiations between workers, factory management, and the Burma Army are underway.

People in Ayeyarwady, Yangon, Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago regions, as well as Kachin State, participated in the nationwide Flower Strike called by pro-democracy groups in Burma to commemorate Aung San Suu Kyi’s 79th birthday on June 19.

In Mandalay, at least 20 people were arrested. In Sagaing Region, four people were arrested. In Ayeyarwady Region another four were arrested. “The military has called for the arrest of flower sellers and buyers, as well as those who posted photos with flowers on social media,” a Mandalay resident told DVB.

The embassies of several countries in Burma released statements condemning the ongoing detention of Aung San Suu Kyi. “[We] continue to call for her and all those arbitrarily detained to be released. The charges against her are clearly politically motivated,” stated the British embassy. Norway, Denmark, Finland and the E.U. shared photos of roses on their social media accounts.

A protest action commemorating International Labour Day or May Day in Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, became heated when police tried to seize a mask with a picture of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on it that was being used by the demonstrators.

According to CNN Indonesia's observations in front of the South Sulawesi Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building on Wednesday May 1, the protesters initially brought an effigy with a mask and a picture of Widodo.

Police officers who were on guard at the location tried to seize the Widodo mask and an argument ensued between police and the protesters.

"Are we violating [the law], is a photo of Jokowi a state symbol. The state symbols are the flag and the national emblem?", said a speaker during the action on Wednesday.

The incident did not last long however after Makassar metropolitan district police operational division head Assistant Superintendent Darminto allowed the protesters to continue the demonstration. "Please, continue the action", he said.

Two students arrested

At the same location, police arrested two students who they claimed were provocateurs.

This incident occurred when the Alauddin Makassar State Islamic University (UIN) Syari'ah and Law Student Alliance held a protest by setting fire to old tyres.

Police officers who were on duty in front of the South Sulawesi DPRD office immediately extinguished the fire, but they encountered resistance from the protesters resulting in two students being arrested.

A scuffle broke out between police and students but the officers managed to secure two students who were suspected of being provocateurs.

"They're my friends, Pak [Mr], why were we attacked. That's our field general, Pak", said one of the protesters at the action.

The two students were taken into the grounds of the DPRD offices.

Cassava farmers working on Lampung Provincial Government land in Kota Baru demonstrate at the South Lampung Police Station.

This was the result of a farmer named Tini who worked on Lampung Provincial Government land in Kota Baru, South Lampung.

She was policed ​​on suspicion of damaging a tractor unit while defending her farm which was evicted in March 2024.

This is registered with the police report number STTPL/B/120/III/2024/SPKT/Polda Lampung.

Most recently, Tini has begun to be questioned regarding the report on Friday (17/5/2204).

As a result of Tini's questioning by the police, hundreds of farmers cultivating Lampung Provincial Government land in Kota Baru raided the police station.

To be precise, at the South Lampung Police Station, hundreds of farmers came in six trucks.

They reject the criminalization of their colleague Tini.

"The farmers used six trucks from Kota Baru to the South Lampung Police. They carried posters containing their demands and rejection of all forms of criminalization against farmers," said the farmer's legal assistant from LBH Bandar Lampung Prabowo Pamungkas, Saturday 18/5/2024).

He said that the arrival of hundreds of farmers was not only to reject the criminalization of Tini, but also to support their colleague.

"This is done by farmers as a form of solidarity with fellow farmers in terms of defending their cultivation rights," he said.

The figure of Tini, among farmers cultivating Lampung Provincial Government land in Kota Baru, is quite well known.

He said Tini was vocal in defending farmers against the land rental policy issued by the Lampung Provincial Government for this land.

The policy is in 2022, the farmer claims, the land has been cultivated since the 1950s and there was no order to pay before that.

On May 11, police officers, once again armed and in plainclothes, arrested another two Kuala Langkat villagers who were opposed to the clearing of the mangroves. Safii, 48, and Taufik, 34, were arrested while fishing. Ateng, a fellow fisherman on the same boat, described how the officers arrived in a speedboat around 9 a.m. and ordered the two men to come with them.

“We did not see the police who arrested them show any identification or provide an arrest warrant,” Ateng told Mongabay.

At night, the villagers gathered at the police station and called for the release of the two men.

Safii and Taufik said they were arrested by the police because they were accused of damaging the home of a man identified only by the initials SAR, said to be BP’s right-hand man. That incident occurred hours after the arrest of Ilham, with villagers accusing SAR of being behind the arrest. Safii and Taufik said that while they did attend the protest outside SAR’s home, they weren’t involved in any kind of vandalism.

During the subsequent arrest of Safii and Taufik, fellow fishermen confirmed seeing SAR on board the police speedboat, pointing at the two men and appearing to order the police to detain them.

Sumiati Surbakti, chair of the Srikandi Lestari Foundation, a women-led environmental nonprofit, said field visits by her organization with LBH Medan and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, an NGO known as Kontras, showed a high number of oil palms in protected forest areas in Langkat.

“This omission shows that policyholders from the provincial to the village level don’t support the Joko Widodo government’s program to suppress climate change by conserving mangrove forests,” Sumiati said.

Adi Yoga Kemit, a lawyer for Kontras, said their investigation had found villagers who opposed the destruction of mangrove forests faced threats and intimidation by thugs hired by the businessmen.

“We urge the police to arrest the financial backers and anyone involved in destroying mangrove forests in Kuala Langkat,” Adi said. “Stop criminalizing people who protect mangroves.”

Advocates from LBH Medan have twice visited the North Sumatra police headquarters to request information on the encroachment of Langkat’s mangrove forests.

“We urge that Ilham’s report regarding the damage to the mangrove ecosystem in Langkat be followed up immediately,” Ali said.

Jumarding, a resident of Anggana District, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, is suspected of experiencing criminalization by the PT SKN Coal Mining Company which operates in Kukar. Jumarding's protest asking for help from PT Sinar Kumala Naga (SKN) to stop land clearing activities on his land led to problems.

Jumarding was instead reported to the police on charges of obstructing the activities of a company carrying out mining activities, even though mediation had previously been carried out between Jumarding and the company but no agreement was found regarding land acquisition.

It is known that SKN submitted its report in March 2023, and will only begin the trial at the Tenggarong District Court around January 2024.

Jumarding was accused by the Public Prosecutor (JPU) of obstructing or disrupting the mining business activities of IUP, IUPK, IPR or SIPB holders who had fulfilled the requirements as intended in Article 70, Article 86F letter b and Article A 136 Paragraph (2).

So the Defendant was charged with violating as regulated and threatened with criminal penalties in Article 162 of Law No. 03 of 2020 concerning amendments to Law No. 4 of 2009 concerning Mineral and Coal Mining in conjunction with Article 162 of Law No. 6 of 2023 concerning the stipulation of Government regulations in lieu of Law Number 2 in 2022 concerning Job Creation becomes law.

Due to Defendant Jumarding's actions which were considered to be obstructing the company's activities, the prosecutor demanded that he be sentenced to 6 months in prison.

Now the fate of Defendant Jumarding is in the hands of the Panel of Judges, who will decide this case.

"The case is just waiting for the verdict, our client is being sued by the prosecutor for 6 months," said Jufri Musa SH together with Zaenal Muktaqin SHI and Makmur Ratno Jaya SH MH to journalists, Tuesday (7/5/2024).

The Defendant Jumarding's Legal Team revealed the facts of the trial which presented expert witnesses, that the defendant's actions which were deemed to be obstructing the company's activities by asking the field supervisor to stop land clearing operations on his land according to the expert witness, were not a criminal act as intended in Article 162.

Expert witness Ougy Dayyantara SHMH explained that actions that could be categorized as obstructing or disrupting mining business activities were if the defendant installed ropes, made tents or built huts on the haul road or ordered dump truck and excavtor operators to stop their activities.

"From everything that was explained by the expert witness at the trial, none of it was done by our client," said Zaenal Muttaqin accompanied by Jufri Musa and Makmur when holding a press conference at Cafe Yen's Delight Samarinda, Tuesday (7/5/2024) afternoon. Makmur added that in the well-known legal adage it is better to acquit a thousand guilty people than to punish one innocent person.

"We hope that the Panel of Judges in their decision will pay attention to aspects of evidence, in order to ensure that our client is innocent and can be acquitted. "said Makmur.

Agrarian conflicts are thought to have led to the criminalization of residents, as experienced by Subardin (55) and Agus (36), residents of Bungintimbe Village, North Morowali Regency (Morut), Central Sulawesi (Central Sulawesi).

Currently the two residents have been detained and named as suspects by the Morut Police for alleged threats that occurred in the PT Sinar Mestika Nusantara (SMN) mining area.

Due to the detention, the families of the suspects, namely their wives and children, came and complained to the Central Sulawesi Representative Commission of National Human Rights, on Thursday (30/5/24), accompanied by the Coordinator of the People's Front for Palm Oil Advocacy (FRAS) Eva Bande.

Previously, Subardin and his group in 2019 had gradually cleared 32 hectares of land, by planting cassava, bananas and coconuts, and at that location they also built a small hut as a place to rest.

In 2022 PT Sinar Mestika Nusantara will evict land that has been managed by Subardin and his group. On the grounds that the company has compensated the Tanaoge village community for losses.

Because they were defending their land rights, Subardin and his group protested by blocking the location of PT Sinar Mestika Nusantara. At that time an argument broke out between Subardin's group and company employees.

Furthermore, on May 21 2024, Subardin and one member of his group, Agus, were named as suspects, even though they were only defending their land which had been cultivated and managed together.

Meanwhile, Central Sulawesi FRAS Coordinator Eva Bande condemned the act of detaining the two residents. According to him, this is a form of criminalization and silencing of farmers who are fighting for their land rights.

The agrarian activist also urged the Central Sulawesi National Human Rights Commission to take firm steps to end the legal process by prioritizing dialogue and persuasion in the agrarian case that befell Subardin and Agus.

Confirmed separately, Head of Criminal Investigation Unit for North Morowali Police, AKP Arsyad Ma'aling, denied that the detention of the two people was related to land issues and land disputes.

"The case is not about land and land disputes, they were detained because they made threats with sharp weapons, we will release them later to the Police," he said briefly.

KARAPATAN condemns the arrest of animal rights and climate justice activist Edison Yu last June 8, 2024 and demands that the unjust and unfounded charges against him be dropped.

Yu was set to join a solidarity action opposing the genocide of the Palestinian people in front of the Israeli embassy at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City, when he was arrested.

According to reports, Yu was near the Israeli embassy, waiting for a friend and taking pictures of the buildings in the area to while away his time when diplomat security officer Rodolfo Osorio Jr. confronted him and demanded an ID. Yu refused and said he would just leave. Unknown to him, however, the security personnel had followed him as he walked away. The latter caught up with Yu in the vicinity of BDO and suddenly hit him in the face, and an altercation between the two happened. Yu is confident that CCTV footages in the area will show that he was a victim of assault and not the other way around.

Ironically, it is Yu who is now detained at Camp Bagong Diwa and facing complaints of alarm and scandal, unjust vexation, physical assault and oral disobedience.

KARAPATAN supports the call for the immediate release of Edison Yu. The right to protest against Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people should be respected and upheld.

Peaceful demonstrations by the Meepago people in Nabire, the capital of Central Papua province, on the morning of Friday April 5, were forcibly broken up by officers from the Nabire district police. A number of protesters were reportedly injured, some of whom were rushed to Nabire regional pubic hospital.

The protesters held actions at at least five points, namely in front of the Karang Tumaritis Market, in front of the Siriwini regional hospital, the SP 1 West Nabire intersection, the Satya Wiyata Mandala University (USWIM) campus and in front of the Jepara II Wadio Hotel, all of which were forcibly dispersed by security forces.

A source from Nabire reported that when they were dispersed, the protesters from the Papua Human Rights People's Front of Concern (FRPHAMP) were also beaten with batons while teargas was fired by police.

"The action was a peaceful action, but the security forces were vicious, they dispersed us, fired [warning] shots, hit and chased us. There was no space at all. Yet on April 3, a letter of notification was delivered to the Nabire Polres [district police]. The aim of the action was to convey the aspirations of the people regarding the heinous actions by TNI [Indonesian military] soldiers in abusing civilians in Puncak district which was a case of a human rights violation", the source explained.

But, said the source, the security forces did not give them the slightest room to move. The protesters were repressed and forcibly dispersed.

A FRPHAMP spokesperson reported that the protesters who had gathered in front of the Karang Tumaritis Market were forcibly dispersed using violence and teargas. Even though there were negotiations, the police went ahead and broke up the demonstration. At around 8.50 am the protesters were forced to disperse.

Likewise in front of Nabire regional pubic hospital. At least 16 people were forcibly taken to Nabire district police station. One of them suffered serious injuries to the head while others suffered minor injuries.

Protesters in front of the Jepara II Wadio Hotel were also blockaded by police. The protesters were then forcibly dispersed using teargas and warning shots. One person suffered a serious eye injury and four others were also badly hurt. Two people were taken away in a police vehicle. Following this, the protesters and security personnel threw things at each other.

At the SP 1 intersection, a teenager named Opinus Japugau was seriously injured when the demonstration was broken up by police. The victim was a grade 3 student from the Nabire state junior high school. Some of the crowd scatted in chaos and were chased into the forest.

In front of the USWIM Nabire campus, the protesters held their ground when they were about to be dispersed by a joint force of military and police.

The peaceful actions by the FRPHAMP, which were in response to acts of violence by TNI in Puncak district, did not take place according to the initial plan as demonstrators at a number of gathering points were forcibly dispersed.

They had also planned to convey their aspirations in front of the Central Papua governor's office. Unfortunately, this was canceled because it was blockaded and they were repressed by security forces.

Demonstrators from several points attempted to gather again after earlier scattering in chaos when they were dispersed by teargas and warning shots fired into the air.

A number of protesters coming from the direction of the USWIM campus in Kalibobo moved off towards the city until they arrived at Jalan Merdeka, not far from the Central Papua governor's office.

They then sat on the road under the direction of the coordinator while negotiating with security forces. However efforts to negotiate failed and the crowd scattered as the authorities again fired teargas.

At the same time, protesters coming from the direction of Wadio who were moving towards the governor's office were also blocked midway.

The FRPHAMP said they were very disappointed with the state's restrictive actions through the security forces. As a result, today's peaceful action plan failed to be implemented as planned.

The situation was somewhat different from usual. The protesters were totally unable to express their aspirations. Nabire in the eyes of the FRPHAMP has completely closed off democratic space for the ordinary people.

A total of four journalists in Nabire Regency, Central Papua, on Friday (5/4/2024) were allegedly prevented by the police from covering a demonstration held by the Papuan People's Front for Human Rights. At that time, the masses carried out an action following the abuse of civilians in Puncak by TNI personnel.

Apart from being blocked from reporting, some of them also experienced beatings.

Based on information gathered by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Jayapura, the four journalists, Elias Douw (wagadei.id), Kristianus Degey (seputarpapua.com), Yulianus Degei (tribun-papua.com), and Melkianus Dogopia (tadahnews.com) .

AJI Jayapura Chairman Lucky Ireeuw explained that initially the four wanted to cover the demonstration. He said Elias Douw, a journalist at wagadei.id, admitted that he arrived at the demonstration location at 08.00 WIT. At that time a number of police asked Elias where the media came from.

Elias then explained the origin of the media. After 23 minutes, the authorities fired tear gas five times, after which the protesters and police officers started making noise.

Next, four police officers approached Elias and shouted at him, 'wee little boy, come home, what are you doing here.' Some of the police officers brought rattan and wanted to hit him. Because he was afraid, Elias ran while being chased by the police.

"Apart from that, when confirmed by Kristianus Degey, a journalist at karetpapua.com admitted that his party had gone down and covered the demonstration by students and the Papuan people. When he arrived there, he took out journalistic equipment such as a cellphone to record videos or take photos, but several police officers reacted and approached him and asked in a loud tone, 'What did the dog do? Quickly delete the videos and photos,'" Lucky said in his statement, quoted by Suara.com, Saturday (6/4/2024).

The cellphone used by Kristianus to record was taken by the police. He then went to the Nabire Police to pick it up. There he was asked not to cover, 'you are not allowed to cover and you are out of this place. You come out quickly, you don't need to cover it.'

Meanwhile, Yulianus Degei, a journalist for Tribun-Papua.com, admitted that he was attacked by a number of police officers while covering a demonstration in the Wadio area, Nabire. This started when a number of police officers approached him and asked for his press card.

Not long after, he received violence in the form of a beating on his head. At that time Yulianus was wearing a helmet. Not only that, the police confiscated his work equipment, such as his cell phone.

Then, Melkianus Dogopia, a journalist for tadahnews.com, encountered obstacles when reporting. Even though he had shown his press card, he was still asked to turn around and not report.

The Special Crimes Directorate of the North Maluku Police has named seven indigenous community members in South Wasile District, East Halmahera Regency, North Maluku Province as suspects.

The seven residents are Estepanus Djojong alias Panus (62 years old) chairman of the Waijoi and Jikomoi customary stakeholders, Septon Djojon alias Ton (42) of Waijoi, Keng Kamariba alias Keng (61) of Waijoi Village, Lifas Gorango alias Rinto (40) of Waijoy Village, Paulus Lasa alias Paul (54), Rifo Bobala alias Rifo (35) of Jikomoi village, Oscar Barera alias Oscar (47) of Jikomoi village.

The naming of the seven Waijoi and Jikomoi residents as suspects is in accordance with the Police Certificate of the North Maluku Police Special Criminal Investigation Directorate, number: B/174/III/2024/Dit Reskrimsus regarding notification of suspect determination. The letter is dated March 18, 2024.

Reporting from Titastory.id which is a partner of Teras.id, the residents of Waijoi and Jikomoi were named as suspects in a case of alleged criminal acts because they were considered to have disturbed and obstructed the mining business activities of PT Wana Kencana Mineral (WKM) as the holder of a Mining Business License (IUP).

One of the residents named as a suspect, Paulus Lasa, a resident of Waijoi, said that the naming of suspects to seven residents of Waijoi and Jikomoi was unnatural and unfair.

According to him, what they are doing is fighting for the rights to the customary land they have been living on. In addition, they consider the company to have lied to the public. They took action to demand an agreement with the company.

Paulus said that their determination as suspects was not in accordance with procedures, where they were examined at the Wasile Selatan Police Station on Nov. 22, 2022.

Then on January 18, 2023, they were summoned as witnesses. Three days later, on January 22, 2023, they were also summoned to attend an invitation at Wasile Police Station, Subaim.

Then suddenly, a case title was held at the Ditreskrimsus Polda North Maluku on January 19, 2024 which finally issued a suspect determination letter on March 18, 2024 as well as the first summons and second summons on March 29, 2024.

Paulus said the presence of PT WKM in 3 villages of Loleba Waijoi, Jikomoi, South Wasile replaced PT KPT Harita Group. PT WKM at that time, said Paulus, had started mining in an area previously released by KPT Harita covering an area of 4 ha, and the remaining 3.8 ha had been mined by WKM.

Because they have carried out activities, residents then demand that the area must be paid by WKM. He said both parties, residents and companies, had agreed an agreement on October 7, 2021.

"The agreement was directly mediated and witnessed by the Forkopimda Haltim, but after the agreement until 2023 there was no realization so the residents came to question the matter to WKM on 17 Nov 2023 and they were promised that 1 week later an answer would be given, but 4 days later they received an invitation letter for clarification from the North Maluku Police on the WKM report," he said.

Rifo Bubala, a resident of Jikomoi, showed evidence of the agreement attached to the minutes of the meeting between representatives of the Loleba, Waijoi and Jikomoi villages with the management of PT Wana Kencana Mineral and PT Format Teknik Mandiri, on Thursday, October 7, 2021 at the sub-district office hall, South Wasile.

The letter contains two points of mutual agreement between PT WKM and community representatives, among others: PT WKM will immediately carry out mining and ore barging / shipping activities in the 7.8 Ha area on Monday, October 11, 2021, for this reason PT WKM / PT FTM will pay the remaining compensation funds of IDR.75 million no later than 30 days after mining activities are carried out.

And the second point is, before mining activities are carried out, outside the 7.8 Ha area, PT WKM together with representatives of the Loleba, Waijoi, and Jikomoi villagers must thoroughly discuss matters relating to land compensation funds and planting growth, facilitated by the Regional Government.

"This letter was signed by the Head of Mining Engineering of PT WKM: Adityawarman, Public Relations of PT FTM: Hammid Muhammad, Loleba Village Chief Officer: Arifin Lanasiri, Head of BPD Loleba: Dikson Deni, Head of Jikomoi Village: Anis Canu, Loleba Village Team 11 Chairman: Amos Werimon, Acting Head of Waijoi Village: Nikanor Jawali, Head of BPD Jikomoi: Bernad Komo Komo, Team 10 Chairman of Jikomoi-Waijoi Village: Septon Djojong, Chairman of BPD Waijoi: Salmon Poroco, and Team 18 Chairman of Waijoi-Jikomoi Village: Zet Flory," said this Jikomoi resident, detailing the participants who attended the agreement meeting.

According to them, due to the expansion of nickel mining, many lands belonging to indigenous peoples have been displaced without going through a compensation process. Usually those who resist and protest are intimidated or reported by the company.

Peaceful demonstrations conducted by the Anti-Militarism Front in Jayapura city and Jayapura regency with the aim of submitting aspirations to DPRP members at the DPRP office in Papua Province were silenced by the Jayapura City Police and Jayapura Police for unclear reasons with a violent approach that led to arbitrary arrests. Based on the testimony of the coordinator of the Anti-Militarism Front, long before they carried out the demonstration they had given a notification letter in accordance with Article 10 paragraph (1), paragraph (2) and paragraph (3), Law Number 9 of 1998 concerning Freedom of Expression in Public.

Based on the assistance and monitoring of PBH LBH Papua, the facts of the Anti-Militarism Front demonstration were colored by the silencing of democratic space to acts of violence and arbitrary arrests that occurred on April 2, 2024.

Initially at 07:30 WIT, the action period in the Sentani area gathered at the gathering point of the new market and Sentani social street but was immediately intercepted by the Jayapura Resort Police and immediately arrested and immediately taken to the Doyo police station. Based on the data obtained, the action period arrested and detained at Jayapura Police Station amounted to 65 people.

In a separate place, at 08:00 Wit, the action began to move from various gathering points including: 1. Abepura Circle, 2. Uncen gate below, 3. Expo Waena and 4. Perumnas lll Waena.

Based on monitoring, at: 08: 42 Wit the mass of action at the top Uncen gate joined the mass at Perumnas lll Waena. Seeing this condition, police officers from Jayapura City Police silenced the democratic space with acts of violence, namely the firing of tear gas directed at the action period and also individuals who beat using rubber stones and forced the dissolution of the action period.

In addition, at 09:23 WIT, the protesters from the Waena expo who were traveling to Abepura were stopped by police officers from the Jayapura city police right in front of the Waena red light road for approximately 2 (two) hours. Furthermore, PBH LBH Papua together with the Field Coordinator lobbied the Head of Intel of Jayapura City Police and the Head of Heram Police Station but the Police could not allow the action period to join the action period in Abepura. Furthermore, the field coordinator contacted Nesta Suhuniap as the General Coordinator to come and lobby, after Nesta arrived and negotiated but could not access so Nesta directed the action to disperse each.

Apart from that, at 11:32 Wit the action period in front of the USTJ campus entrance received repressive actions and tear gas shots by Brimob so that the action period was scattered everywhere and there was also an action of throwing stones and others until it led to the arrest of one of the Cenderawasih University students on behalf of TINUS DIPUL 2nd semester law faculty and detained at the Abepura Police Station. Apparently the student before being arrested was beaten by police officers, so that the left eyebrow was injured. The detained student was released after advocacy efforts made by PBH LBH Papua.

Apart from the above action period, since: 10:11 Wit the action period which was previously in the Abepura circle joined the mass gathered in front of the Uncen gate below then the action period survived and conducted political speeches. Furthermore, the mass of several points collectively they joined all at the Uncen gate below. Until 13:11 Wit, the DPRP had arrived at the Uncen gate below, then the coordinator provided space for each OKP and each BEM representative to express their opinions and then the coordinators read out the Statement of Attitude and finally handed over the Statement of Attitude to representatives of DPRP members in front of the Uncen gate.

Furthermore, PBH LBH Papua confirmed that 65 people of action who were detained at Jayapura Police Station had apparently been advocated by PAHAM Papua and Elsham Papua so that 65 people of action had been released since 12:00 Wit. While one of the Action Period is still being treated at Dian Harapan Hospital due to acts of violence committed by police officers during the forced dispersal using a violent approach.

Based on the description above, it can be concluded that the Jayapura Police and Jayapura District Police along with Brimob Members who were on duty on April 2, 2024 carried out their duties to disperse the peaceful demonstration of the Anti-Militarism Front with a violent approach so that there were several protesters who were injured, thus reflecting the fact of Criminal Acts of Persecution as stipulated in Article 351 of the Criminal Code and made arbitrary arrests so that there were 65 protesters detained at Jayapura Police Station and 1 protesters detained at Abepura Police Station, thus reflecting the fact of Violation of the Police Code of Ethics as stipulated in Article 6 letter q. Government Regulation No. 2 of 2003 concerning Dismissal of Police Conduct, Government Regulation Number 2 of 2003 concerning Discipline of the Indonesian National Police.

In accordance with the facts of the statement of the Coordinator of the Anti-Militarism Front, long before they carried out the demonstration they had given a notification letter in accordance with Article 10 paragraph (1), paragraph (2) and paragraph (3), Law Number 9 of 1998 concerning Freedom of Expression in Public. Meanwhile, Police officers who do not carry out their obligations "After receiving a notification letter, the Police are obliged to: a. immediately provide a notification receipt letter; b. coordinate with the person in charge of expressing opinions in public; c. coordinate with the head of the agency / institution that will be the purpose of expressing opinions; d. prepare security for the place, location and route" as stated in Article 10 paragraph (1).

Dwi Kurniawati (41), a female worker in Surabaya, East Java was thrown into prison after asking about the district/city minimum wage (UMK) at her place of work.

This was revealed when the Public Prosecutor from the Surabaya District Prosecutor's Office, Darwis read out the indictment against Dwi Kurniawati, in the Candra room of the Surabaya District Court, Thursday (21/3/2024).

The indictment states that the worker from Sumber Wulut, Surabaya falsified work experience letters so he could work as accounting staff at PT Mentari Nawa Satria or what is known as the Kowloon Palace International Club.

Dwi Kurniawati has been detained at the Medaeng Detention Center since March 5 2024. Dwi's case is in the spotlight and this 41 year old mother received assistance from the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Advocacy Team for State Child Care Workers (Tabur Pari).

In LBH's view, Dwi is a victim who does not receive employment rights. Then the company again made Dwi a victim by reporting him to the Genteng Surabaya Police.

Achmad Roni, one of the lawyers from LBH, explained that initially Dwi worked as an accountant at PT Mentari Nawa Satria or better known as Kowloo Discotheque.

Dwi was initially contracted to work for 6 months, and served for 3 months. The first month Dwi received a salary of IDR 1.2 million, the second month IDR 1.5 million, and the third month IDR 2.3 million.

"In addition to her salary being below the UMK, Ms. Dwi was also not registered with BPJS and her birth certificate was withheld. Starting from there, she complained to the Surabaya City Manpower Office and was directed to direct the criminal rights dispute case to the East Java Provincial Manpower Office. So, because there was no follow-up, Dwi reported it to East Java Regional Police," he said.

The police apparently stopped the case. However, suddenly Dwi was reported to the Genteng Police.

"The person who reported the employee was named Eko Purnomo. He was not a shareholder and reported the name of the company representative. Strangely enough, before the suspect was summoned, the statement of representing the company was omitted. The report was in Eko's personal name," said Roni.

Roni and his friends think that this case cannot be separated, because Dwi Kurniawati is fighting for the right to receive wages according to the UMK.

"In short, there was criminalization, Mrs. Dwi went to jail after asking about UMK," he explained.

Tribunjatim has attempted to confirm PT Mentari Nawa Satria by contacting the contact number listed on the Kowloon Instagram account.

Initially the telephone was answered, however, when asked about the case there was no response.

Sorbatua Siallagan, an Indigenous elder on Sumatra, was abducted for wanting to keep the paper industry out of his people’s forest. Protests have been going on for days demanding the closure of pulp giant Toba Pulp Lestari.

Protesters have been gathering in front of the police building in Medan, a city of one million on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, since March 23, 2024. People are singing, holding banners and shouting “Free Sorbatua Siallagan!” – “Close down Toba Pulp Lestari!” – “Stop criminalizing Indigenous peoples!”

Sorbatua Siallagan, the leader of Dolok Parmonangan, an Indigenous Batak community, is 65 years old. On the morning of March 22, he was shopping with his wife when ten people in civilian clothes approached him, dragged him into a car and took him away without a warrant. His family and village did not know what had happened to him.

Only in the evening did they learn that Sorbatua Siallagan had been taken to a jail in Medan, 160 km away. He was interrogated without a lawyer present, said Roganda Simanjuntak of our partner organization AMAN Tano Batak (Alliance of Indigenous People in the Land of Batak) in an interview with Rainforest Rescue. Siallagan is accused of “illegal activities”. He allegedly carried out agricultural activities in a forest that was part of the concession of the pulp company Toba Pulp Lestari.

The Indigenous Batak say the land and forest are their ancestral territory, and that they have lived there for thousands of years. But for the Indonesian government, forests are state property – except for small Indigenous forests. The state grants concessions to companies without regard for centuries of settlement and traditional rights.

In the 1980s, Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL) was established south of Lake Toba, the largest crater lake in the world. TPL built plants for the production of paper, pulp and viscose and was granted a concession for hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest by the state. First, vast amounts of tropical wood disappeared into the paper mill, then fast-growing eucalyptus plantations were established – at the expense of nature and local communities.

The brutal destruction of forests, water pollution, land grabbing and violence against local people met with fierce resistance from the start. Hundreds of land disputes remain unresolved to this day.

But “Toba Pulp Lestari continues to use the police to intimidate the Indigenous people into fighting for their land,” says Hengky Manalu of AMAN Tano Batak. He suspects that the criminalization of the Indigenous leader is based on a complaint filed by Toba Pulp Lestari. This is not the first time that Sorbatua Siallagan has been arrested.

The demonstration in Medan shows both the desperation and the determination of the participants, because their very existence is at stake. The case of Sorbatua Siallagan also stands for many similar cases: the struggle of the people for their land and forest rights, their gardens and their forest. The Indigenous peoples of Indonesia are on the losing side of the race to make way for land for plantations and mines.

Toba Pulp Lestari is controlled by one of Indonesia’s richest men, Sukanto Tanoto. His Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) business empire includes the APRIL Group (Asia Pacific Resources International Limited). APRIL, one of the world’s largest pulp companies, produces paper, pulp and viscose in several large plants on Sumatra. APRIL pulp is also used in Chinese paper mills.

In response to increasing global paper consumption, especially since the COVID pandemic, APRIL/RGE is expanding into China, Europe and Latin America. The group has bought into Brazil, the facilities on Sumatran mills are being expanded, and a new mill is being built on Borneo, in the province of North Kalimantan. Another company linked to APRIL/RGE, Mayawana Persada, is currently destroying an orangutan forest for paper.

Years of negotiations with major environmental organizations have failed to change the company’s practices. Investors and buyers should not do business with APRIL/RGE.

The immense consumption of paper must stop! Rainforest Rescue stands in solidarity with the demands of the protesters in Medan:

Stop criminalizing Indigenous people and environmental defenders!

Free Sorbatua Siallagan!

Close down Toba Pulp Lestari!

In the midst of the National Press Day (HPN) celebration which was closed by President Joko Widodo in Ancol, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (20/2/2024), a shocking news came from Labuhanbatu, North Sumatra.

A journalist named Samuel Tampubolon, who is also a contributor to TribrataTV and klikindonesia.co, allegedly suffered persecution by the Labuhanbatu Police Chief, AKBP Bernhard L. Malau.

According to Samuel, who is also the Treasurer of DPD Pro Jurnalismedia Siber (PJS) North Sumatera, the persecution occurred in front of Nuansa Hotel on Jalan Sisingamangaraja Rantauprapat, Wednesday (21/2/2024) night at around 20.00 WIB.

"Previously, I had an appointment to meet with the Chief of Police through the Head of Narcotics AKP Roberto P Sianturi. But for some reason, I was beaten like this," said Samuel when talking via telephone with the Chairman of the DPP PJS Mahmud Marhaba.

For this incident, various criticisms and demands came from journalist organizations, including PJS.

The Chairman of DPD PJS North Sumatera, Sofyan Siahaan, strongly condemned the violence.

"Law enforcement officers who are supposed to protect and protect actually commit acts of violence, this cannot be tolerated. Moreover, it was done by a Police Chief along with some of his members," said Sofyan.

He asked the Chief of Police and the North Sumatra Police Chief to immediately take action against the Labuhanbatu Police Chief and several other personnel who participated in the beating, including the Chief of Drugs.

"This action is very tarnishing the good name of the police institution. At a time when the Kapolri is aggressively building a good image of the police, it is actually damaged by its ranks," he said again.

"We urge the Kapolri to remove AKBP Bernhard Malau from his position because he does not reflect a good law enforcement officer, protect and protect the community," said Sofyan.

The Chairman of the DPP PJS, Mahmud Marhaba, deeply regretted the actions of the Police Chief's class officers who committed this brutal act.

"Everywhere, if there is something that makes someone offended, it should be done through the legal process, not taking the law into your own hands," said Mahmud, who is also a Press Council Expert.

He also added, if it is related to journalistic work, it must be resolved at the Press Council.

"If you have a dispute with journalistic work, exercise the right of reply or the right of correction. "Everything comes down to the Press Council, it's not done with an iron fist, especially at the level of the Police Chief," said Mahmud.

Mahmud also supports the demands of the Chairman of the North Sumatra PJS DPD, Sofyan Siahaan, who asked the North Sumatra Police Chief and North Sumatra Regional Police Chief to act professionally against every leader or member of the National Police who makes fatal mistakes that tarnish the name of the institution and must be dealt with firmly.

Until now, Samuel Tampubolon has been referred to a hospital in Medan due to a heavy blow to his head.

"We from PJS are accompanying Samuel together with his attorney to report the alleged act of abuse to the North Sumatra Police Propam," said Sofyan to the Chairman of the PJS DPP.

The Labuhanbatu Police Chief, AKBP Bernhard L. Malau, who was asked for his response by the Pemredklikindonesia.co via WhatsApp chat on number 08137512XXXX, stated that he did not carry out the beating.

"That's not true, bro. No one hit him, if I was angry, yes," said the Police Chief on the sidelines of attending a gathering for the Acting Governor of North Sumatra, Wednesday (21/02/2024).

Labuan Police investigators were accused of criminalizing Yadi Cahyadi, a news source for one of the local media in Banten.

Yadi was reported on charges of defamation after being a news source entitled "A Number of TPI Labuan Employees Resigned, Allegedly Due to Not Receiving Salaries for Several Months".

Yadi Cahyadi was reported by TPI Labuan manager Eman Saepul Rohman for defamation. The accusation was based on news in the Satelitnews daily newspaper.

The report was contained in a summons letter Number B/01/I/2024/Sek.Lbn dated January 03, 2024. The invitation letter asked Yadi for clarification in the context of the investigation.

However, the police action was considered by a number of journalists in Pandeglang as an attempt to criminalize Yadi.

Chairman of the Pandeglang Working Group of Journalists (Porwan) Tubagus Agus Jamaluddin said, based on Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press, sources are part of journalistic products as long as what is conveyed is factual. Thus, the police action is considered an attempt to criminalize the source.

He also threatened to hold a demonstration in front of the Pandeglang Police Headquarters, Tuesday, January 9, 2024. This action is a form of protest against investigators who are considered incompetent.

"We will take action on Tuesday, so that the police understand what they are doing. So that in the future, they do not just take action. Don't let this law be used for the benefit of a handful of people," he said, Saturday, January 6, 2024.

Agus asked Pandeglang Police officials to evaluate the performance of Labuan Police investigators who were considered not understanding the rules. This is to prevent similar incidents.

"Just evaluate, place competent people, who understand and understand the rules. Don't use the law and articles as a tool to scare. Distinguish between journalistic products and pure crime," he said.

IJTI Pandeglang Regional Coordinator (Korwil) Dendi Sudrajat suggested that investigators have a deep understanding of the law, so that similar problems do not recur in the future.

"The police must carry out a massive evaluation, because it is possible that other investigators also do not understand and understand journalistic products and the laws that bind them," he concluded.

The Regional Board of Indonesian Islamic Students (PW PII) Banten plans to hold a demonstration in front of the Banten Police office, Serang City. The action aimed to highlight the issue of weak law enforcement against illegal mining in Lebak Regency and the lack of response from the Banten Police regarding the issue, on Tuesday, December 2, 2023.

However, the action organized by PW PII Banten did not go smoothly. While on the road in front of the Banten Police office, the action was blocked by the police, causing a tense situation at the location.

Action Coordinator, Kiki Baehaki, explained that the demonstration was carried out in response to the negative impact felt by the people of Cidoyong Village, Lebak Gedong District, due to illegal gold mining in the area.

"We held the demonstration because of the bad impact felt by the local community in Cidoyong Village, Lebak Gedong Subdistrict, on Mount Cidoyong due to the impact of illegal gold mining excavation, flooding occurred in several villages in Cipanas Subdistrict," said Baehaki.

He continued by saying that the illegal mine in Lebak Gedong was sealed in 2020 by the Banten Police, but after being surveyed by PW PII Banten, it was found that the mining activities were still ongoing this year.

"We found the largest gold mine in Ciguha Pilar Cileksa, Sukajaya District, Bogor Regency, which has not received firm action from the police," he continued.

He said, alluding to Law 158 on the prohibition of illegal mining, Baehaki emphasized that miners without a license can be subject to 5 years imprisonment or a fine of 100 million rupiah. However, he questioned the minimal law enforcement related to illegal mining cases in Banten.

"With this issue, I suspect that there is collusion between the Banten Police, Lebak Police, and gold mining bosses regarding the security of illegal mining operations," he said.

He revealed that this action was blocked by the police when passing on the Cipocok District road towards the Banten Police. There was an argument and police intimidation of the protesters who wanted to continue the demonstration in front of the Banten Police.

"But despite the intimidation, PW PII Banten remains committed to continuing the legal struggle related to the illegal mining issue," he said.

In closing, Baehaki stated that this case showed the tense situation regarding the issue of illegal mining in Banten and the tension between the demonstrators and the police.

"So the plan is to continue the legal justice movement in Banten by offering an audience and reporting illegal mining cases to the Police Headquarters," he concluded.