Uwazi

Indian authorities must drop the charges against journalist Santu Pan, who was arrested live on air while reporting on allegations of abuse by West Bengal officials, and investigate the earlier assault of three journalists reporting on clashes related to one of those officials, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday.

On Monday, police arrested Pan, who works for the privately owned news broadcaster Republic Bangla, while he was reporting from a woman’s home in the village of Sandeshkhali, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of West Bengal’s state capital, Kolkata, and remanded him in police custody for three days, according to news reports. Pan’s arrest was captured in a video by Republic World.

Pan, who was freed on bail on Thursday, was reporting on weeks of protests by local women over alleged rape and sexual assault by officials with West Bengal’s ruling All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). One of the alleged assailants has fled, while another was arrested.

On Thursday, Calcutta High Court ordered a stay on further proceedings in the police investigation into Pan for violating multiple sections of the penal code. If charged and found guilty of criminal trespass, Pan could face imprisonment for up to three months; for house trespass, imprisonment for up to one year; for outraging the modesty of a woman, imprisonment for up to three years; for voyeurism, imprisonment for up to three years; and for criminal intimidation, imprisonment for up to two years.

The unrest in Sandeshkhali started on January 5, when hundreds of supporters of an AITC official attacked federal officials with the Enforcement Directorate who had arrived to conduct a raid on the official’s house over an alleged scam regarding government-subsidized food distribution, according to news reports. Several officials were injured, their vehicles set on fire, and their laptops and phones were looted, those sources said.

Journalist Ayan Ghoshal of the privately owned news broadcaster Zee 24 Ghanta and reporter Sandeep Sarkar and camera operator Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya of the privately owned news broadcaster ABP Ananda were stoned, beaten with sticks, and kicked, during clashes between crowds and officials in Sandeshkhali, those sources said, as well as Ghoshal. Their cameras and other equipment were stolen and broken, and their vehicles were damaged, those sources said.

Sarkar said in an interview with his outlet ABP Ananda that he was beaten by the crowd and forced to unlock his phone. When the crowd saw the photos that he had taken, Sarkar and his driver were beaten again, their car was damaged, and their video live streaming equipment was stolen, he said. The crowd also beat his colleague Chattopadhyaya and snatched and broke his camera, Sarkar added.

In an article in The Telegraph an anonymous journalist said that they were chased and beaten by people who snatched their camera and destroyed it. They are undergoing medical tests after vomiting, they added. Ghoshal told CPJ that his vehicle was the first to be targeted and damaged by the crowd with stones, bricks, and sticks.

“It is disturbing to witness the growing intolerance of press freedom in West Bengal,” said Kunāl Majumder, CPJ’s India representative. “Authorities in West Bengal must drop all charges against journalist Santu Pan, investigate the violence meted out against reporters covering unrest in Sandeshkhali, and ensure that the media can do their jobs without fear or interference.”

Indian authorities must drop the charges against journalist Santu Pan, who was arrested live on air while reporting on allegations of abuse by West Bengal officials, and investigate the earlier assault of three journalists reporting on clashes related to one of those officials, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday.

On Monday, police arrested Pan, who works for the privately owned news broadcaster Republic Bangla, while he was reporting from a woman’s home in the village of Sandeshkhali, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of West Bengal’s state capital, Kolkata, and remanded him in police custody for three days, according to news reports. Pan’s arrest was captured in a video by Republic World.

Pan, who was freed on bail on Thursday, was reporting on weeks of protests by local women over alleged rape and sexual assault by officials with West Bengal’s ruling All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). One of the alleged assailants has fled, while another was arrested.

On Thursday, Calcutta High Court ordered a stay on further proceedings in the police investigation into Pan for violating multiple sections of the penal code. If charged and found guilty of criminal trespass, Pan could face imprisonment for up to three months; for house trespass, imprisonment for up to one year; for outraging the modesty of a woman, imprisonment for up to three years; for voyeurism, imprisonment for up to three years; and for criminal intimidation, imprisonment for up to two years.

The unrest in Sandeshkhali started on January 5, when hundreds of supporters of an AITC official attacked federal officials with the Enforcement Directorate who had arrived to conduct a raid on the official’s house over an alleged scam regarding government-subsidized food distribution, according to news reports. Several officials were injured, their vehicles set on fire, and their laptops and phones were looted, those sources said.

Journalist Ayan Ghoshal of the privately owned news broadcaster Zee 24 Ghanta and reporter Sandeep Sarkar and camera operator Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya of the privately owned news broadcaster ABP Ananda were stoned, beaten with sticks, and kicked, during clashes between crowds and officials in Sandeshkhali, those sources said, as well as Ghoshal. Their cameras and other equipment were stolen and broken, and their vehicles were damaged, those sources said.

Sarkar said in an interview with his outlet ABP Ananda that he was beaten by the crowd and forced to unlock his phone. When the crowd saw the photos that he had taken, Sarkar and his driver were beaten again, their car was damaged, and their video live streaming equipment was stolen, he said. The crowd also beat his colleague Chattopadhyaya and snatched and broke his camera, Sarkar added.

In an article in The Telegraph an anonymous journalist said that they were chased and beaten by people who snatched their camera and destroyed it. They are undergoing medical tests after vomiting, they added. Ghoshal told CPJ that his vehicle was the first to be targeted and damaged by the crowd with stones, bricks, and sticks.

“It is disturbing to witness the growing intolerance of press freedom in West Bengal,” said Kunāl Majumder, CPJ’s India representative. “Authorities in West Bengal must drop all charges against journalist Santu Pan, investigate the violence meted out against reporters covering unrest in Sandeshkhali, and ensure that the media can do their jobs without fear or interference.”

A demonstration by Papuan students in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), turned violent. Dozens of students were beaten by a mob from one of the mass organizations, then they were arrested by the police.

The demonstration of Papuan students took place on Jalan Piet A Tallo, Friday (1/12/2023). They rallied there in commemoration of the West Papua independence declaration day.

While protesting, the students were approached by a group of mass organizations Garda Flobamora and Garuda. They were told to stop protesting. Chaos ensued until they were taken to the police station.

"We are temporarily at the police station. We were dispersed and beaten by the Garuda mass organization," said the coordinator of the mass action, Yeri Wali.

Yeri explained that the incident began when two people suspected of being intelligence officers arrived using a white car to conduct monitoring at around 09.07 Wita.

Then at 09.15 Wita, around 50 people from the Garuda mass organization came to the protesters angry, argued and ended up beating them blindly, causing the clothes of a number of protesters to be torn off.

In addition, a protestor named Ririn was beaten until she fainted. Another protestor, Jek, also received a blow on his lip that broke. They were then transported to the Kupang City Police Station.

"Currently, we all have injuries and many bumps on the head, face and lips," said Yerri.

Kupang City Police Public Relations Section Head Aipda Florensi Ibrahim Lapuisaly confirmed the arrest. However, he suggested that they go directly to the Kupang City Police Headquarters.

"There is indeed information (of arrests) but I don't know how many were secured. Because I and Mr. Kapolresta still have Friday Curhat activities in Oepura Village," he said.

detikBali monitored at the Kupang City Police Station that the protesters had not been released. Meanwhile, the masses from the Garuda Kupang mass organization had already dispersed at 10:40 Wita. There has been no official statement from the Garuda organization about the riot.

A Hong Kong court on Thursday rejected a fresh bail application for pro-democracy activist and lawyer Chow Hang-tung, whose subversion trial under a China-imposed national security law is expected to open in late 2024.

In making the latest in a series of so far unsuccessful bail applications, Chow’s lawyer, Cheung Yiu-leung, noted Chow had already served more than 2 years in detention after being arrested on suspicion of “incitement for subversion” over her ties to a group that organised an annual June 4 vigil.

High Court judge Andrew Chan, however, said he couldn’t grant bail because Chow might carry out acts that endanger national security.

A tentative trial date was provided for Chow’s case in the second half of 2024 at the West Kowloon court, Chan said. A case-management hearing was also tentatively expected to be held on Feb. 15, 2024, he added.

Chow, 38, a human-rights lawyer, was the vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, a now disbanded pro-democracy group. Despite being jailed, she has continued to defy Beijing’s campaign to subjugate the city.

Chow is charged with “incitement to subversion”, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment, alongside two former Alliance leaders Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan under the national security law (NSL).

Chow has been detained since September 2021 at a maximum security women’s prison.

Hong Kong laws usually restrict reporting of full bail application proceedings to only key details, but Justice Chan lifted these restrictions over objections from the prosecution.

“I don’t see that anything you said, or I said, cannot be published. The press are free to publish whatever,” Chan said.

Chow was recently put in solitary confinement for 18 days for possessing “too many letters” from her supporters, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Hong Kong prison authorities said they wouldn’t comment on individual cases.

Chow has already finished two sentences for unauthorised assembly in relation to the banned Tiananmen vigils in 2020 and 2021.

The Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) commemorated the independence of the Papuan nation on December 1, 1961.

The action, which was supposed to take place at Barito market in Gamalama sub-district, Ternate city, was dispersed by TNI and Polri officers in front of SMAN 3 Ternate city, Gambesi sub-district, South Ternate district, (1/12).

The field coordinator when confirmed, said that after the mass transportation vehicle left the gathering point to the action point, soldiers in full uniform about 7 people immediately blocked the action truck. Meanwhile, a soldier forced the truck driver to stop the car and forced the driver to get off and confiscate the truck keys.

"The truck left the gathering point, and was immediately blocked and sabotaged by soldiers in full uniform, totaling around 7 people. And a lot of plainclothes police," concluded Nando.

In addition, one of the Papuan Alliance Students said that the purpose of this action was to convey to the entire community that the Papuan nation is an independent nation and has been recognized de facto de jure.

"On December 1, everything was carried out. The declaration and submission of a political manifesto as a concrete form of the establishment of the West Papua state," he said.

He also said that the declaration of independence of the Papuan nation is clear evidence that the formation of the state was purely carried out by the Papuan people.

"It is not a country made by the Dutch, but it is a pure country founded by the people of the west Papuan nation," he said.

He also conveyed that the current situation in Papua is very concerning. Because the Indonesian state colonized and annexed an independent nation, this then led to various kinds of human rights violations that were increasing and massive, so this needs to be conveyed objectively what is happening in Papua.

"Many human rights violations and their escalation are always increasing and massive from year to year. And it leads to genocide of systematic racial extermination, so that today the indigenous Papuans are on the verge of racial extinction," he said.

Meanwhile, Lipantara, when confirmed, said that the forced dispersal carried out by the security forces was an act of suppression of democratic space, where restrictions on expressing opinions in public were carried out openly by the state through the power of the TNI / Polri apparatus.

Whereas the very nature of democracy is to provide the freedom to express opinions in public in full, without any restrictions.

"Because the freedom to express opinions is precisely the heart of democracy, if it is stifled then democracy will slowly die," he said.

Until now, the protesters are still securing themselves from the TNI / Polri sweep.

Chairperson of the University of Indonesia (UI) Student Executive Board (BEM) Melki Sedek Huang admitted that he received intimidation, including his family in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. He suspects that the intimidation is related to the student movement about the Constitutional Court (MK) decision regarding the minimum age limit for presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Since the beginning of the management of BEM UI in 2023, Melki admitted that he and a number of other students often received digital attacks and terror in various forms.

However, the intensity has increased since the frenzy of the Constitutional Court decision led by President Joko Widodo's brother-in-law, Anwar Usman.

"I don't know what the motive is, but I have confidence that this is quite closely related to the socio-political conditions that are currently in the air, one of which is about the frenzy of the Constitutional Court's decision," Melki said when contacted by CNNIndonesia.com, Wednesday (8/11).

Melki said his family in Pontianak, West Kalimantan was also visited by a number of parties claiming to be security forces a few weeks ago. Melki said the party did not mention the origin of the unit. They only claimed to be officers.

"The worst thing was that my mother was at home in Pontianak, visited by people in TNI and police uniforms. They asked about Melki's habits at home, what he used to do, what my mother did when she came back home, whether she came back at night or at what time. Yes, asking about the habits of people at home," he said.

In addition, Melki also admitted that he received news from his teacher at SMA Negeri 1 Pontianak that someone had asked about his habits while attending school. Until now, Melki has not reported the terror incident to the police.

"Until now, we are still waiting and seeing," he added.

The terror, said Melki, has been discussed within BEM UI.

CNNIndonesia.com has attempted to contact West Kalimantan Police Chief Inspector General Pipit Rismanto regarding Melki's claim. However, until this news was published, he had not yet responded.

Kapendam XII Tanjungpura Colonel Inf Ade Rizal Muharram admitted that he had not received information about the alleged terror of the authorities against Melki's family in Pontianak. He said he would immediately inform you if he received information about the alleged incident.

"I'll find out first," Ade told CNNIndonesia.com, Wednesday night.

The Constitutional Court has ruled on the minimum age requirement for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, which was originally 40 years old, to be 40 years old or have / are currently holding positions elected through elections, including regional elections.

The decision finally opened the door for Solo Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is still 40 years old, to run in the 2024 presidential election. It is known that Gibran is the eldest son of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as well as the nephew of Anwar Usman, who at that time served as Chairman of the Constitutional Court.

The decision reaped pros and cons. There were a total of 21 reports of alleged violations of the ethics of constitutional judges filed by a number of parties. Anwar was the most reported party, namely 15 reports.

The Constitutional Court Honor Council (MKMK) finally declared Anwar proven to have violated serious ethics related to conflicts of interest in the Constitutional Court's decision on the minimum age requirement for presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Then, Anwar was sanctioned with the dismissal of Anwar Usman from the position of Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court. The verdict was read out by MKMK Chairman Jimly Ashhiddiqie at the MK Building, Jakarta, Tuesday (7/11) evening.

Jimly said this decision was made after MKMK conducted an examination of Anwar and collected facts and a defense from Anwar. Among the nine MK judges, Anwar was examined twice by MKMK in this alleged ethical violation.

Violence against journalists has occurred again. This time it happened to a senior journalist in the Bangka Belitung Islands Province named Ichsan Mokoginta.

According to the official statement from the press organization Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Pangkalpinang City, the violent incident happened to Ichsan Mokoginta who is a journalist from Trasberita.com.

The attack from an unknown person befell Ichsan at his residence on Jalan Kampung Baru, Petaling Banjar Village, West Mendo District, Bangka Regency on Saturday (25/11/2023, around 13.30 WIB.

When confirmed by AJI Pangkalpinang City, Ichsan explained the chronology of the attack he experienced. The incident began when he was approached by an unknown person wearing a black helmet, dark jacket and white and red checkered long-sleeved shirt.

"The perpetrator used language with a Palembang accent and asked about the house of someone named Mamad, to which I answered that I didn't know. However, the question about Mamad's house kept being repeated," said Ichsan, Sunday (26/11/2023).

Ichsan, who received the uninvited person, felt suspicious and then chose to keep his distance by going deeper into the living room of his house. Ichsan's actions were apparently followed by the perpetrator who also entered the house.

The perpetrator then took out a bottle similar to a vinegar bottle from his pocket and then, using both hands, immediately sprayed the liquid in the bottle at Ichsan.

"The perpetrator then fled on a motorbike after I shouted," he said.

The liquid spray, which was thought to be acid, did not cause significant injuries to Ichsan's body. It's just that the liquid spray made the skin around Ichsan's face, neck and stomach feel hot.

"I suspect that this incident is related to my reporting about the existence of illegal tin mining in Penagan Waters, West Mendo Village. I have been aggressively reporting on the mine. I even reported it when fishermen who rejected the mine sent a report to TNI Headquarters about the involvement of individuals in the mine," explained Ichsan.

Currently, said Ichsan, this incident has been reported to the authorities, namely the West Mendo Sector Police (Polsek), which investigators have followed up by visiting the crime scene (TKP) and asking for information.

"A few days before the physical attack, I was invited to meet by one of the individuals and asked me not to report on the Penagan mine. The day before, I found that I was being followed by people who then monitored activities around my house," he said.

The Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH) has urged the Papua Police Chief to immediately order the Merauke Police Chief to release 20 participants of the Ampera South Papua (PS) peace rally. LBH Papua Director Emanuel Gobay said the arrests made by the Merauke Police occurred on Saturday (18/11) morning, when they were preparing for the Ampera PS peace rally.

Emanuel confirmed that his party had also sent a letter of notification of the peaceful action plan with the topic 'The Law is Dead for Awyu Indigenous Peoples in Boven Digoel' to the Merauke Police.

"The Merauke Police, who had received a peaceful action notification letter, instead came to the gathering point and dispersed the Ampera PS protesters and arrested 20 AMPERA PS protesters," he said in a written statement.

Emanuel said that of the total 20 peaceful protesters who were arrested and taken to the Merauke Police Station, one of them was a woman.

He also criticized the arrest steps which were considered arbitrary.

The reason is, the protesters have given a notification letter to the Merauke Police. Therefore, he called the arrest a form of violation of the right to freedom of speech stipulated in the Law.

On the other hand, Emanuel said that the Merauke Police Chief and his staff had also violated the existing authority as stipulated in Article 6 letter q of Government Regulation Number 2 of 2003 concerning Discipline of the Indonesian National Police.

"Evidence that the Police Chief and his staff have silenced democratic space and clearly violated National Police Chief Regulation Number 8 of 2009 concerning the Implementation of Human Rights Standards and Principles in the Duties of the Indonesian National Police," he explained.

Therefore, he urged the Papua Police Chief Inspector General Mathius D Fakhiri and the Governor of South Papua to immediately order the Merauke Police Chief to release all the protesters who had been arrested.

"Immediately release the 20 people of the AMPERA PS Action Period because the dissolution and arrest are contrary to the Principles of Perkap Number 8 of 2009 concerning the Implementation of Human Rights Standards and Principles in Police Duties," he said.

CNNIndonesia.com has attempted to contact Papua Police Chief Inspector General Mathius D Fakhiri and Head of Papua Police Public Relations Commissioner Ignatius Benny Prabowo. However, until this news was published, both of them had not yet responded.

At least 20 people were wounded when police used batons, water cannon and tear gas to disperse hundreds of people who joined rallies in Indonesia’s West Papua region on the 61st anniversary of an agreement that made the territory part of Indonesia, news agencies report.

The US-brokered 1962 New York Agreement allowed Indonesia to annex the Christian-majority region after the end of Dutch colonial rule, according to a report in the UCA News.

Riot police attacked peaceful demonstrators in three locations near the provincial capital Jayapura yesterday, alleged Emmanuel Gobay, a Catholic and an official of the Papua Legal Aid Institute.

The demonstrators called on the international community to review the agreement and take action to end ongoing violence and repression in the region, said the report.

“In fact, they only held peaceful demonstrations,” said Gobay, who joined one of the rallies.

He stated that more than 20 people were beaten, with one of them later being treated in hospital.

“One person was seriously injured and was immediately transported to the hospital for treatment,” he said.

Listening to speeches Videos and photos obtained by UCA News showed police attacked with water canons and fired tear gas while people were listening to speeches from leaders of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), the protest organiser.

Gobay said that although the authorities viewed the KNPB as a “separatist — pro-independence — group “they should have the right to express their opinion” as guaranteed in the nation’s constitution.

“Moreover, they submitted an official letter notifying police about the programme beforehand,” he added.

He condemned the use of water cannon and tear gas on demonstrators.

These should only be for anarchic demonstrations — “not peaceful demonstrations,” he said.

Gobay alleged that police committed criminal offences by torturing and beating protesters, and called on the Papuan police chief to immediately prosecute the perpetrators so that there was a deterrent effect, said the UCA News report.

Father Bernard Baru from the Jayapura Diocese’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission said that this repressive action was a repetition of the discriminatory treatment of Papuans by the state.

Brutal police action ‘normal’ “In Papua, police actions like this are considered normal. This only deepens discrimination against Papuans,” he said.

Police officials were not available for comment.

KNPB spokesman Ones Sahuniap issued a statement to condemn the police brutality and claimed those who were beaten suffered serious head injuries and bled profusely.

Suhuniap said the police used rattan and batons to beat and break up the demonstration.

The KNPB simultaneously held demonstrations in Papua and in other parts of Indonesia, asking the United Nations to review the 1962 New York Agreement.

During the rallies, KNPB leaders called the New York Agreement “a violation of human rights of Papuans” sponsored by Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United States and the United Nations.

Not party to agreement As per the agreement, later added to the agenda of UN General Assembly, the Netherlands agreed to transfer the control of West Papua New Guinea to Indonesia, pending an UN-administered referendum.

The Papuans were not party to the agreement and it paved the way for the 1969 Act of Free Choice, an independence referendum favoring Indonesian rule in Papua whuch was largely regarded as a sham.

Indonesia’s annexation of Papua and use to force to crush dissent sparked an armed pto-indeoendence movement.

Thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels have been killed and tens of thousands have been displaced due to the conflict in the easternmost region in the past decades.

On November 15, PCIJ, the Filipino non-profit and independent media agencyspecialising in investigative journalism, reported an active cyber-attack on its website which prompted it to take the site down temporarily to assess the incident and prevent further breaches. The hacking attacks began on November 13 and escalated around noon on November 15.

According to the PCIJ, the incident is the most serious cyber-attack in recent years. The motive behind the attack remains unknown, however a number of recent reports of breaches and cyberattacks on Filipino government websites and databases have been recently been recorded. At the time of publication, the PCIJ website remains inaccessible.

PCIJ's recent stories have included include a report on online communities of Filipinos who have been amplifying and supporting pro-Beijing narratives, which include the claims of the Chinese government in the West Philippine Sea. The PCIJ has also published articles on the alleged sale of votes in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, the killing of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid, and the issue of excessive profits at the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

The IFJ has documented an increase in cyberattacks against media outlets in the Philippines, and across South East Asia, in recent years. In February 27, 2022, the website of CNN Philippines was hit by a cyberattack that made the site inaccessible to users while the network was hosting a presidential debate ahead of the country’s May 2022 election. In December 2021, news outlets including ABS-CBN, Rappler, Vera Files, and Philstar, were targeted by Distribution Denial of Services (DDos) attacks.

On November 13, 2023, during a hearing at the East Jakarta District Court, the Public Prosecutor requested Fatia Maulidiyanti, former Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), FIDH Vice-President, and OMCT General Assembly member, be sentenced to three years and six months in prison and a fine of 500,000 Rupiah (30 Euros), and Haris Azhar, Executive Director of Lokataru, be sentenced to four years in prison and a fine of one million Rupiah (60 Euros).

The Observatory recalls that a defamation case against Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar was initiated in August 2021, after Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs, and retired army general, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, sent them a subpoena in relation to a talk show video posted on Haris Azhar’s YouTube channel, in which the two human rights defenders alleged the Minister was involved in controversial gold mining activities in Papua Province.

As Ms Maulidiyanti and Mr Azhar refused to apologise, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan filed a police report on September 22, 2021, against the two human rights defenders alleging that both violated criminal defamation provisions, namely “attacking someone’s honour or reputation with accusations” and “defamation” (Articles 310 and 311 of the Criminal Code, respectively) and Article 45(3) of the amended Electronic Information and Transaction (EIT) Law. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan asked for 300 billion rupiah (approximately 18 million Euros) in compensation. The trial of Ms Maulidiyanti and Mr Azhar began on April 3, 2023, before the East Jakarta District Court and 28 hearings have taken place since then. On November 27, 2023, the two human rights defenders are scheduled to submit their defence at the East Jakarta District Court.

The Observatory denounces the ongoing judicial harassment against Fatia Maulidiyanti and Harris Azhar, which seems to be only aimed at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities and for exercising their right to freedom of opinion and expression, enshrined in international human right law, and particularly in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Indonesia is a state party.

The Observatory urges the Indonesian authorities to dismiss the case against Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar, and to put an end to any acts of harassment – including at the judicial level – against them and all other human rights defenders in the country, and to ensure that they are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without any hindrance or fear of reprisal.

Several police officers dressed casually are suspected of intimidating and using violence against journalists while covering the forced return of protesters at the Grand Mosque of West Sumatra in Padang, West Sumatra. Three journalist organizations condemn the obstruction of journalistic work.

Chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Padang Aidil Ichlas, Sunday (6/8/2023), said that at least four journalists were victims of intimidation or violence by the apparatus. The four journalists are Nandito Putra (Tribunnews), Fachri Hamzah (Tempo), Dasril (Padang TV), and Zulia Yandani (Classy FM).

"We condemn such actions. In fact, a female journalist has also become a victim. Some of the journalists who tried to break up and release their colleague who was about to be lifted were also threatened and their shirt collars were grabbed," said Aidil.

Tribunnews journalist, Nandito Putra, in a press statement, explained that he was grabbed by plainclothes police officers while recording the return of protesters and doing a live broadcast for his media on Saturday afternoon. Prior to that, he was also prohibited from taking photos and his cellphone was about to be confiscated by the authorities.

According to Nandito, around 3:30 pm, he was broadcasting live on Facebook Tibunpadang.com to record the situation of West Pasaman residents who were rejecting the national strategic project (PSN) in the courtyard of the West Sumatra Grand Mosque. After recording the condition of the residents for two minutes, he directed the camera towards the police who were pulling a woman.

“I followed the crowd to a distance of about 3 meters. However, when I was recording, suddenly some plainclothes people came and grabbed me. My cellphone was taken by force. Then the apparatus asked me what my purpose was and I explained that I was reporting," said Nandito.

Nandito was only released after two journalists protested against the police officer's actions. However, in that effort, the security forces also lifted Fachri Hamzah's shirt collar, a Tempo journalist, and made threats. The same officer also threatened Aidil Ichlas, Chairman of AJI Padang, who at that time was also trying to release Nandito.

The incident ended a few minutes later after several officers from the Padang City Resort Police intervened and apologized to Nandito, Fachri, and Aidil for the incident.

On another occasion, Dasril, a journalist from Padang TV, also experienced intimidation by police officers. At the time, Dasril was recording the arrest of a member of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Padang who was accompanying the protesters.

Suddenly, a police officer obstructed Dasril's camera from recording. "That's enough, don't record anymore," said the officer. However, Dasril continued to do his job.

Meanwhile, Zulia Yandani, a female journalist from Classy FM, also experienced violence during the chaotic mass repatriation incident. At that time, Zulia had just finished praying and heard the commotion on the first floor of Masjid Raya Sumbar.

Seeing the tense situation, Zulia then recorded the incident, but was approached by a number of police officers who then took her phone. "I have explained that I am a journalist, but they still pulled me and lifted both of my legs. They were going to take me to the car," she said.

Due to the police's act of intimidation and violence towards journalists, three journalist organizations in West Sumatra, namely AJI Padang, Pewarta Foto Indonesia (PFI) Padang, and Ikatan Jurnalis Televisi Indonesia (IJTI) Sumbar, issued a joint statement through a press release.

These three journalist organizations are of the opinion that the actions taken by the police have violated press freedom. However, Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press has clearly regulated matters related to journalistic work.

Such intimidation action also violates Article 18 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 40 Year 1999. The article states, "Any person who unlawfully and intentionally performs actions resulting in obstructing or impeding the implementation of the provisions of Article 4 paragraphs (2) and (3) shall be punished with imprisonment for a maximum of 2 years or a maximum fine of IDR 500 million."

Therefore, AJI Padang, PFI Padang, and IJTI Sumbar condemn the acts of intimidation and violence by the police towards journalists on duty at the Grand Mosque of Sumbar. The three associations also urge the Chief of West Sumatra Regional Police to apologize for the incident of intimidation and violence.

The Chief of Police of West Sumatra is urged to process his members who intimidate and use violence against journalists in accordance with regulations. In addition, the Chief of Police of West Sumatra is requested to ensure that standard operating procedures for handling demonstrations always prioritize professionalism, persuasion, and respect for press freedom.

On the other hand, AJI Padang, PFI Padang, and IJTI Sumbar appreciate the actions taken by several police officers from Polresta Padang who prevented violence against several journalists and immediately apologized. Finally, the three journalistic organizations also urged journalists to continue to adhere to the journalistic code of ethics while working.

On Saturday afternoon, at the Masjid Raya Sumbar, one of the journalists who became a victim, Zulia Yandani, reported the issue to the Inspector General of Sumbar, Suharyono. Initially, Suharyono responded jokingly to the alleged behavior of his member who is suspected of being intel. "So the intel is still fond of you, Mom," he said.

However, after Zulia convinced that the police officer's actions were serious, Suharyono summoned the Director of Intelligence of the West Sumatra Provincial Police, Commissioner Sunarya, to apologize directly to Zulia for the incident.

Church bodies have joined advocacy groups to complain against alleged use of intimidatory measures by Indonesian police against villagers protesting a geothermal project in a Christian-majority province.

In a complaint submitted to the National Human Rights Commission in Jakarta on Oct. 20, they accused police of carrying out "intimidation and criminalization" against residents opposing the power project led by State’s Electricity Company (PT PLN) at Poco Leok in East Nusa Tenggara province.

The organizations, including Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission (JPIC) of the Franciscans and Divine Word, pointed out that the summons issued to seven residents earlier this month and 12 others this week were “an arbitrary act by the Manggarai Police.”

"The Poco Leok indigenous community does not know the reason why the police carried out this summons which was completely unreasonable," they said.

The Manggarai Police in the summons, a copy of which was obtained by UCA News, accused the residents of committing a crime "by deliberately obstructing or impeding the development of a geothermal business and by using violence against officials who were carrying out their legitimate duties."

Manggarai Police spokesman I Made Budiarsa said residents were "randomly summoned to ask for clarification regarding police officers' information reports” about an incident on Sept. 27.

Around 30 police and military personnel had gone to Poco Leok on that day to escort officers from the state-owned Electricity Company on a visit to the geothermal project site.

Syamsul Alam Agus, chairman of the executive board of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago said it is the duty of police to protect vulnerable people.

“Unfortunately, the police protect individuals or companies who come to destroy the land of indigenous peoples," he added.

Valens Dulmin, a lawyer from Franciscans’ JPIC Commission said the police action violated the 1945 Constitution which assures “equal treatment before the law.”

Meanwhile, Melky Nahar, coordinator of the Mining Advocacy Network, said that "in the name of a national strategic project that was created without prior consultation, small people are being evicted from their territory."

Hari Kurniawan, a commissioner at the National Human Rights Commission said they would convene a joint meeting before arriving at a decision on the complaint.

The Poco Leok geothermal project is an expansion of the Ulumbu Geothermal Power Plant, about 3 kilometers west of Poco Leok, which has been operational since 2012.

The government aims to hike the project capacity to 40 megawatts from the current 10 megawatts through the expansion.

However, the project funded by the Germany-based Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) continues to face opposition from local residents who fear it will take away their ancestral land and livelihoods across 10 villages.

Most of the affected residents, who are farmers and also raise livestock, are Catholics under the Ruteng diocese.

Flores Island was designed as a geothermal spot by a 2017 government decision.

It has a total geothermal potential of 902 megawatts, or 65 percent of the total capacity in East Nusa Tenggara province, according to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

The conflict between the people of Nagari Bidar Alam and the people of Nagari Ranah Pantai Cermin with PT Ranah Andalas Plantation (PT RAP) in South Solok Regency led to the criminalization of 6 residents. All six were named as suspects by South Solok Police. The summoning of the six people in Bidar alam originated from police report Number LP/168/IX/2020/SPKT related to the crime of theft on September 14, 2020, which was reported by the company.

Responding to the criminalization of residents, Diki Rafiqi, Coordinator of the Advocacy Division of LBH Padang said that LBH Padang and Walhi West Sumatra West Sumatra made three demands. First, urging the South Solok Police to stop the criminalization of the Bidar Alam community. Second, urging the Regent of South Solok to revoke PT RAP's license. Third, the South Solok Police should investigate PT RAP's criminal allegations, including gardening without a permit, embezzlement of community revenue sharing money, and taxation crimes.

Diki explained that the problem stems from agrarian conflicts that are still unresolved in South Solok Regency. Even though PT RAP, which allegedly reported the community, no longer has any legality. "This is reinforced by the Decree of the South Solok Regent which revoked PT RAP's location permit on July 29, 2008. In addition, PT RAP also does not have Business Use Rights (HGU) in Nagari Bidar Alam and Nagari Ranah Pantai Cermin," he said in an official statement Monday, September 25, 2023.

Initially, said Diki, PT RAP was present due to an agreement between the ninik mamak and PT RAP that there would be a 60 percent - 40 percent profit sharing since the construction of the plantation, but until now the community has not received their rights at all from PT RAP. "Decades of people waiting for good faith from PT RAP to provide 40 percent profit sharing from the harvest have never been obtained," he said.

The impact of the 60 percent to 40 percent agreement, PT RAP has broken its promise to the community. In mid-2020, the community took over their land by harvesting on their own land. In addition, there is also no clarity on conflict resolution by the Regent of South Solok until now. The choice to reclaim rights by the community is based on the situation of economic needs that the company used to promise to prosper.

However, the South Solok Police responded to the reclaiming of land rights by naming a suspect in the alleged crime of theft. This condition certainly intensified the conflict in Nagari Bidar Alam and Nagari Ranah Pantai Cermin.

According to Diki, this is clearly one of the criminalization efforts carried out by the police that can silence the struggle for rights carried out by the community. This criminalization also gives fear to the community so that the company can regain control of the community's land. If the police read the agreements between the community and PT RAP in partnership to build oil palm plantations, it can be concluded that the oil palm plantations belong to the community and the company.

"Then how can a person who owns be accused of stealing on his own land and oil palm trees that are 40% capitalized by the landowning community. Don't think that the plantation was only built by the company because the mechanism built between the company and the community is a partnership and profit sharing," he said.

Before the South Solok Police accepted PT RAP's report, said Diki, the police should have questioned the legality of the company, because the company no longer has legal legality there. In addition, PT RAP not only harms the community but also harms the state by not paying taxes. The state should take action against things like this instead of punishing people who have long been cheated. "In addition, the issue of PT RAP and the landowners is not a criminal issue but a civil issue," said Diki.

Tommy, Head of Advocacy of Walhi West Sumatera, stated that the oil palm plantation cultivation activities carried out by PT RAP without having land rights and business licenses are illegal. Because, plantation cultivation business activities and / or plantation product processing businesses can only be carried out by plantation companies if they have obtained land rights and fulfill business licenses related to plantations from the central government (article 42 paragraph (1).

Furthermore, said Tommy, article 55 of Law 39 of 2014 concerning Plantations as amended by Law Number 06 of 2023 concerning the Stipulation of Government Regulations in Lieu of Law Number 2 of 2022 concerning Job Creation into Law also emphasizes norms that prohibit everyone (including companies) from unlawfully working on, using, occupying, and / or controlling plantation land (including on customary land), harvesting or collecting plantation products.

With the illegality of the activities of working on, using, occupying, and/or controlling plantation land by PT RAP, it does not have land rights and does not have a business license.

So, said Tommy, PT RAP can be subject to plantation crime, regulated in article 107 of Law 39 of 2014 concerning Plantations as amended by Law Number 06 of 2023 concerning the Stipulation of Government Regulations. Substitute for Law Number 2 of 2022 concerning Job Creation into Law which emphasizes that every person who unlawfully works, uses, occupies, and controls plantation land, community land or customary land rights of indigenous peoples.

"With the intention of the plantation business, cutting plants in the plantation area; harvesting or collecting plantation products as referred to in Article 55, shall be punished with a maximum imprisonment of 4 (four) years or a maximum fine of Rp. 4,000,000,000," he said.

Over the past weeks, innumerable protests – some impromptu, many by Muslim organisations and a few by rights organisations – have been organised across many big and small cities in India. These protests, largely peaceful, have raised citizen’s voices against what is seen as Israel’s siege and relentless bombing of Gaza. Indian law enforcement authorities from Mumbai to Uttar Pradesh (UP) to Delhi have however, in many cases taken “action.”

The issue at stake is the denial of permissions to several groups countrywide who have expressed a desire to protest this issue. Starting with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the violence in West Asia has so far claimed the lives of 1,400 Israelis and over 5,100 Palestinians. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, about 40% of the Palestinians killed are children. And like in the rest of the world, Indians in several cities have been wanting to protest but have been denied the right. Where they have, in many instances, the protest has been criminalised.

October 23, 2023, Delhi

The Telegraph reported that students from JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi University detained as they try to hold protest near Israeli embassy and police had erected barricades to stop them from reaching the embassy at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road. The report detailed that scores of students from JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi University had gathered to take part in the protest. Police had erected barricades to stop them from reaching the embassy at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road. When some of the students tried to march towards the embassy, they were detained as they did not have the required permission to hold the protest, said a police officer, adding that “no one was allowed to violate law and order”. All India Students Association (AISA) Delhi unit president Abhigyan said several students were detained and taken to a police station.

First, in response to the Israel-Gaza war, several students of the Aligarh Muslim University took out a rally on October 9. This peaceful rally, organised as an expression of solidarity with Palestinians, saw four students in trouble as the police booked them under Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language, etc.), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), and 505(statements inducing public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The state chief minister, Ajay Bisht aka Yogi Adityanath, soon after the AMU protest, directed the police to take “stern action” against actions or social media posts in support of Palestine. According to a report in the Deccan Herald, senior district police officials have been told to speak to the Muslim clerics and make it clear that “any attempt to incite passion on social media or a similar call from the religious places will not be tolerated”.

A cop, belonging to the Muslim community, posted in Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh, had merely shared a pro-Palestine post on social media. Within days, he was suspended from duty and an additional superintendent of police rank officer was appointed to carry out an inquiry about the constable and “his political inclination”.

In similar incidents, the police in Kanpur booked two young Muslim clerics, Suhail Ansari and Atif Chowdhary, for posting content in support of Palestine on social media. While Ansari was arrested, the police raided Chowdhary’s residence.

Background

Irrespective of which parties dominate the government is in power and what the political party’s stand has been on the ongoing conflict in West Asia, protestors in many states are facing criminal action for acts of “unlawful assembly” to promote “enmity between two groups”. India’s position on West Asia – reiterated by the Narendra Modi government – on the Israel-Palestine conflict is that it supports a “negotiated solution resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, within secure and recognised borders, at peace beside Israel as endorsed in the relevant UNSC and UNGA Resolutions”.

It is the right to protest peacefully however which is guaranteed but appears in many instances to have been denied.

Ironically even in Congress-ruled Karnataka, the police’s actions were no different than UP, Delhi or Mumbai.

The police from the Cubbon Park jurisdiction in Bengaluru booked 11 persons, including a member of the Bahutva Karnataka (a citizen’s group), and other unnamed people for holding a solidarity gathering in support of Palestine on MG Road. While the police haven’t booked them for “promoting enmity”, the sections applied are largely for gathering without permission and for “public nuisance”.

A mainland Chinese student was imprisoned in Hong Kong for six months for “sedition” charges. Authorities recently released her on October 12th, when the Hong Kong government deported her to mainland China.

SEDITION 23-year-old Zeng Yuxuan was originally a PhD student studying law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Zeng Yuxuan is the first mainland Chinese student to be imprisoned in Hong Kong over a sedition charge.

On January 1st this year, Zeng was accused of displaying a sketch of ‘The July 1 stabbing Incident’ suspect Leung Kin-fai outside the Sogo department store in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Police charged her with ‘committing acts with seditious intent’ for placing candles and flowers on the ground in mourning.

ARRESTED AGAIN After being granted bail, Zeng Yuxuan was arrested again on the eve of this year’s “June 4th.” She intended to unveil a giant banner featuring the “Pillar of Shame.” However, before the event, she was arrested and charged with “attempting to do an act with seditious intent.” The West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court sentenced her to six months.

PILLAR OF SHAME The “Pillar of Shame” depicts several twisted and tragic figures, symbolizing the casualties of the 1989 Tiananmen Square bloody crackdown. This copper statue was removed in 2021. Traditionally, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China would send people yearly to clean the “Pillar of Shame” on the eve of the June 4th massacre. The leadership of the alliance was arrested in 2021 as well.

Ms. Tonyee Chow Hang-tung, a jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and former leader of the Alliance said, “When the court says that displaying the Pillar of Shame is a crime, it is nailing itself on the pillar of shame.”

ZENG YUXUAN’S ACTIVISM Zeng Yuxuan once expressed her wish to “make a little change” for Hong Kong, claiming that “it’s our duty” to participate in the protests. She also held up white papers at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, in response to the “White Paper Movement/A4 Revolution” launched in Mainland China in opposition to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

On October 12, Zeng Yuxuan was released after serving her sentence, and the Hong Kong government deported her to China declaring her “persona non grata.”

HONG KONG WATCH The London-based human rights organization “Hong Kong Watch” expressed deep concern about Ms. Zeng’s circumstances upon her arrival in mainland China.

Hong Kong Watch’s statement indicates that the expulsion of Zeng Yuxuan reflects Beijing’s increasing control over Hong Kong. With Hong Kong’s judicial independence steadily declining, Hong Kong authorities are seen as following Beijing’s demands to execute their political agenda, with little regard for the rule of law. The rule of law and judicial independence in Hong Kong are deteriorating.

Dozens of residents from a fishing area in north-central Vietnam this week have protested the building of a port project, despite police launching a criminal investigation of them for disturbing public order, demonstrators said.

On Wednesday, Thanh Hoa provincial authorities mobilized dozens of police officers to force protesting fisherfolk — mostly women — to leave the construction site where a dock is being built, one of the sources said. Though they stayed, police did not take any measures against them and left the area at noon.

About 300 residents of Hai Ha commune first took to the streets on the morning of Oct. 23 with banners and placards to show their opposition to the Long Son Container Port project, which they say will adversely affect their livelihoods and living environment.

“We don’t want the Long Son Container Port project because it is located in the coastal area we inherited from our ancestors, and it has been passed down from generation to generation,” said a villager on Wednesday who declined to be named out of fear of reprisal by authorities.

Fishing provides the only income to cover her family’s expenditures, including her children’s education expenses, she said.

“If the port is built, residents like us will be adversely affected by pollution, and there will be no places for our boats to anchor and no places for us to trade seafood,” she said.

Generating income

Long Son Ltd. Co. is investing more than US$30 million to build the 15-hectare (37-acre) project, which will have a 250-meter (820-foot) dock. It is expected to be operational in 2025.

The project will play a crucial role in the development of the first dedicated container port area at Nghi Son Port, according to state-run Vietnam News Agency. Once Dock No. 3 is built, it will serve as a dike against waves and winds and create a 10-hectare (33-foot) water area for local fishermen to safely anchor their boats.

The port is expected to generate revenue and jobs in Thanh Hoa province, including Hai Ha commune.

State media reported that Thanh Hoa provincial authorities conducted thorough studies and environmental assessments as well as consulted local people on the project. But the woman said representatives of the authorities only went around to people’s homes to try to persuade them not to oppose the project and its implementation.

The protest on Oct. 23 prompted Nghi Son town police to file charges against them for obstructing traffic and causing a kilometer-long (0.6 mile) vehicle backup.

Police at the scene took photos of the protesters, recorded videos and collected other information, some villagers involved in the demonstration said.

Police also issued an order requiring Hai Ha residents to adhere to the law and not to gather in groups to disrupt public order, incite others, or be enticed to obstruct the construction of Dock No. 3 of the Long Son Container Port project.

Threatened with arrest

Police threatened them with arrest for disrupting public order — which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison — if they continued.

Hai Ha commune includes nearly 3,000 households with about 11,000 inhabitants, most of whom rely on fishing to make a living. The villagers say they fear that port officials will cut off their access to the waters where they fish and prohibit them from anchoring their boats.

Villagers ignored the police order and continued their protest on Tuesday and Wednesday, hoping to prevent the dock’s construction.

The woman quoted above said that the villagers are not afraid of going to jail because they don’t want to lose their home beach.

But if they have to relocate as a result of a loss of livelihoods, villagers will expect satisfactory compensation and a new living area with spaces to safely anchor their boats, she said.

“We staged a march and did not offend anyone or did not cause any harm,” she said. “None of us offended the police. We followed the traffic law, [and] we walked on the roadside and stayed in rows.”

The port will join four other industrial projects surrounding the 1,200-hectare (2,965-acre) commune. The others are a cement factory, a port for coal transportation in the north, a thermal power plant in the west, and a steel factory in the south.

Though the projects have created jobs for locals, they have also created serious environmental pollution, negatively affecting residents’ lives, a second woman said.

Hui Muslim poet Cui Haoxin, formerly a vocal critic of Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs and Hui Muslims, has been severely beaten by an unidentified man after lying low for nearly three years, according to an associate and an account of the attack posted to his personal blog.

The reports emerged after Cui, who lives in Shandong and goes by the pen name An Ran, disappeared from social media for nearly three years after being warned off speaking out publicly or talking to journalists – on pain of a prison sentence, Radio Free Asia has learned.

Cui was attacked by the man at around 4.00 p.m. local time on Oct. 29 after he went downstairs to pick up a parcel near the gates of his residential compound, a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals told RFA Mandarin.

"This man, whom An Ran had never seen before, was waiting for him on a motorbike near the shelves in his residential community," the person said.

"He didn't say anything but shoved An Ran to one side and started shuffling through all of the packages ... then he asked if he could move over [so An Ran could look for his package], and the guy immediately started yelling and cursing at him," they said.

According to Cui's blog post, the man then knocked him to the ground and started beating him.

"He was hitting so fast and so hard that I couldn't fight back – I just tried to block the blows," he said. "The punches hit home, and now my temples, eyes and the back of my head are swollen and painful."

Cui, 44, tried to get up after his attacker fell over, but the man started beating him again "knocking me to the ground, and not stopping until he was tired," he wrote, adding that his eyesight is now "significantly reduced."

Critical posts

The attack came nearly three years after Cui was held in criminal detention by police in January 2020 for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble" after he made posts to Twitter criticizing China’s treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang.

Cui dropped off the radar of the overseas media and international activists after that, and made no more posts to his former social media accounts.

A friend of his told Radio Free Asia on Nov. 1 that he was actually released on "bail, pending trial" on Feb. 21, 2020, and warned off posting anything to social media or talking to foreign journalists.

"An Ran's father came to take him home, and from that point on, they lived in a situation where they were continually followed, warned and intimidated by the police," she said.

"The state security police warned his family that he would be sent to prison if he gave interviews to foreign journalists," the friend said. "That would have left An Ran's parents without anyone to take care of them, so An Ran said nothing for three years, not even a comment or a picture."

"He was depressed and almost at the point of mental collapse when he got out [from detention]," the friend said.

‘Big prison’

U.S.-based activist Sulaiman Gu said the blog post is the first news anyone has had from Cui in three years.

"An Ran really did disappear completely over the past three years," he said. "Nobody knew what had happened to him."

"All I know is that he had been warned many times and held for short periods of time prior to his detention [in 2021], and tricked into going for 'red' education in Jinggangshan," Gu said.

"He was in great danger at that time, but then he was released into the big prison," he said, referring to the tight surveillance and restrictions that are frequently imposed by Chinese police on former political prisoners long after their release from detention or prison.

"At least he's not in the small prison," Gu said.

Prior to his detention Cui was an outspoken critic of China's mass incarceration of Uyghurs and other Muslims in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where authorities have placed as many as 1.8 million people accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas in a network of internment camps since April 2017.

He had also been detained and questioned by state security police in 2018 over critical tweets, and warned not to use overseas social media or to become a "tool" of hostile foreign forces.

In April 2018, Cui was sent on a week-long ideological "re-education" course in eastern China and was briefly detained in connection with his poetry and other writings that reference Xinjiang.

In one article published at the time, Cui describes Xinjiang as having left a "planet-sized impression" on him.

"Xinjiang, that massive presence that defies expression, left a planet-sized impression on me that is ineradicable," Cui wrote in an article that also referenced the Syrian conflict and the Arab Spring.

"This is a land of poetry and song ... when I headed out west to the Central Asian city of Kashgar, no sooner had I arrived than I made straight for the tomb of an ancient poet, and raised my hands in prayer for him beside the dusty tomb swathed in green silk."

Pakistan authorities must cease harassing journalists Fayaz Zafar and Amjad Ali Sahaab and immediately and impartially investigate Zafar’s detention and allegations that he was abused by police, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.

On August 30, police arrested Zafar, a reporter for the U.S.-Congress-funded Pashto-language broadcaster Voice of America Deewa and Daily Mashriq newspaper, in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Swat District, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ.

Earlier that day, magistrate Irfan Ullah Khan ordered Zafar to be held in preventive detention for 30 days under the West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960. The order, which CPJ reviewed, accused him of using social media to spread “fake, offensive and hatred contents to defame and incite the public” against the government and law enforcement agencies.

Zafar said he was taken to Swat police chief Shafiullah Gandapur’s home, where six officers beat him for about 15 minutes with their guns and fists despite his telling them he had a heart condition. The journalist also said police brought his car to Gandapur’s home, damaged its doors and hood with their rifle butts, and held the vehicle until September 5. Zafar said Gandapur pressured him to sign an affidavit that he would stop his critical reporting about the police, but he refused and was taken to jail.

On August 31, Khan issued an order for Zafar to be released from jail, following requests from the District Bar Association and a local tribal assembly, and withdrew the previous day’s detention order. Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi told CPJ that he asked local authorities to release the journalist and ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to investigate the incident.

In the case of Sahaab, editor of the local Urdu newspaper Daily Azadi Swat and the online blog Lafzuna, police in Swat District’s Mingora city opened an investigation on August 31, accusing the journalist of inciting violence against state institutions via social media and posting criticism of the district administration, according to a report by Radio Mashaal and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ.

Sahaab told CPJ that a dozen police officers came to raid his home on August 31 but did not enter because his brother said the journalist was not there and women were inside. Sahaab said he approached a local court on September 1 and secured pre-arrest bail to protect himself from detention in relation to the case until the next hearing on September 9.

The police report, reviewed by CPJ, accused Sahaab of defamation and intentional insult with intent to breach the peace in violation of the penal code, and causing annoyance or intimidation in violation of the The Telegraph Act, 1885.

“Pakistani authorities must swiftly and transparently investigate the arrest of Fayaz Zafar and the abuse he allegedly endured at the hands of the police, and hold the perpetrators to account,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “Police must also drop their investigation into Amjad Ali Sahaab and allow both journalists to report on matters of public interest in Swat District without interference.”

Zafar told CPJ that he feared for his life after the detention and beatings and received medical treatment for the injuries caused to his head, back, shoulders, legs, and right hand.

The journalist said he believed that he was targeted for his recent reporting and commentary on social media, including a video, which he said showed a student being abducted near a police station, and photographs, which he said were of militants patrolling in Swat after attacking a police post.

Sahaab also told CPJ that he believed he was being investigated because of his critical work that he posts to social media, including Lafzuna’s YouTube discussions about the alleged failure of local authorities to stop rising militancy and arrests of activists, as well as blogs on insecurity.

Police chief Gandapur told CPJ via messaging app on September 1 that Zafar’s allegations of abuse were “fake” and that the journalist was directly taken to jail following his arrest.

Gandapur did not respond to CPJ’s follow up queries about the investigation into Sahaab. CPJ’s calls and messages to magistrate Khan requesting comment did not receive any replies.

Pakistan authorities must cease harassing journalists Fayaz Zafar and Amjad Ali Sahaab and immediately and impartially investigate Zafar’s detention and allegations that he was abused by police, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.

On August 30, police arrested Zafar, a reporter for the U.S.-Congress-funded Pashto-language broadcaster Voice of America Deewa and Daily Mashriq newspaper, in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Swat District, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ.

Earlier that day, magistrate Irfan Ullah Khan ordered Zafar to be held in preventive detention for 30 days under the West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960. The order, which CPJ reviewed, accused him of using social media to spread “fake, offensive and hatred contents to defame and incite the public” against the government and law enforcement agencies.

Zafar said he was taken to Swat police chief Shafiullah Gandapur’s home, where six officers beat him for about 15 minutes with their guns and fists despite his telling them he had a heart condition. The journalist also said police brought his car to Gandapur’s home, damaged its doors and hood with their rifle butts, and held the vehicle until September 5. Zafar said Gandapur pressured him to sign an affidavit that he would stop his critical reporting about the police, but he refused and was taken to jail.

On August 31, Khan issued an order for Zafar to be released from jail, following requests from the District Bar Association and a local tribal assembly, and withdrew the previous day’s detention order. Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi told CPJ that he asked local authorities to release the journalist and ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to investigate the incident.

In the case of Sahaab, editor of the local Urdu newspaper Daily Azadi Swat and the online blog Lafzuna, police in Swat District’s Mingora city opened an investigation on August 31, accusing the journalist of inciting violence against state institutions via social media and posting criticism of the district administration, according to a report by Radio Mashaal and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ.

Sahaab told CPJ that a dozen police officers came to raid his home on August 31 but did not enter because his brother said the journalist was not there and women were inside. Sahaab said he approached a local court on September 1 and secured pre-arrest bail to protect himself from detention in relation to the case until the next hearing on September 9.

The police report, reviewed by CPJ, accused Sahaab of defamation and intentional insult with intent to breach the peace in violation of the penal code, and causing annoyance or intimidation in violation of the The Telegraph Act, 1885.

“Pakistani authorities must swiftly and transparently investigate the arrest of Fayaz Zafar and the abuse he allegedly endured at the hands of the police, and hold the perpetrators to account,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “Police must also drop their investigation into Amjad Ali Sahaab and allow both journalists to report on matters of public interest in Swat District without interference.”

Zafar told CPJ that he feared for his life after the detention and beatings and received medical treatment for the injuries caused to his head, back, shoulders, legs, and right hand.

The journalist said he believed that he was targeted for his recent reporting and commentary on social media, including a video, which he said showed a student being abducted near a police station, and photographs, which he said were of militants patrolling in Swat after attacking a police post.

Sahaab also told CPJ that he believed he was being investigated because of his critical work that he posts to social media, including Lafzuna’s YouTube discussions about the alleged failure of local authorities to stop rising militancy and arrests of activists, as well as blogs on insecurity.

Police chief Gandapur told CPJ via messaging app on September 1 that Zafar’s allegations of abuse were “fake” and that the journalist was directly taken to jail following his arrest.

Gandapur did not respond to CPJ’s follow up queries about the investigation into Sahaab. CPJ’s calls and messages to magistrate Khan requesting comment did not receive any replies.

Press organizations in Papua, including the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) of Jayapura City, the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) of Papua, and the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI) of Papua, lambasted what was reported to be intimidation against Abdel Gamel Naser, a journalist from Cenderawasih Pos. The incident occurred while he was covering the case of mangrove forest destruction in the Youtefa Bay Nature Park conservation area in Jayapura City on Tuesday (11/7/2023). Gamel, as he is commonly known, allegedly faced intimidation from two police officers who were present near the location. The officers approached Gamel and questioned his reasons for photographing the area. Despite explaining that he was a journalist, the officers insisted on deleting the photos, resulting in Gamel deleting three images from his reporting.

“To avoid further conflict so I can continue my reporting elsewhere, I deleted the photos. As I was leaving the location, they issued further threats,” Gamel stated in a press release issued by the press organizations on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.

Gamel was among a group of approximately a dozen journalists who were covering the halt of logging and material stockpiling in the mangrove forest area of Youtefa Bay Nature Tourism Park. The halt was carried out by the Papua Forestry and Environment Service, the Papua Natural Resources Conservation Center, and the Papua Police Special Crimes Unit.

According to Gamel, the intimidation occurred while he was capturing images near a location where police lines had been established, and several police personnel happened to be present nearby.

Lucky Ireeuw, chairman of the AJI Jayapura, strongly condemned the alleged intimidation faced by Gamel during his work. Such repressive actions hinder the exercise of press freedom in Papua.

“The intimidation suffered by Gamel obstructs press freedom and violates Law No. 40/1999 on Press,” Ireeuw asserted.

He further called on the Papua Police to take decisive action against the officers implicated in the alleged intimidation.

“We urge the police to ensure press freedom in Papua,” Ireeuw added.

Meanwhile, PWI Papua deputy, Ridwan Madubun strongly condemned the display of arrogance that resulted in the alleged intimidation of his fellow journalist Gamel. Madubun believes such actions are unjustifiable, especially when they occur while journalists are carrying out their responsibilities in the public domain.

He also expressed dismay at the ongoing repressive acts against journalists in Papua. It is important to note that journalists are safeguarded by the law in carrying out their coverage duties to inform the public.

Papua Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Ignatius Beny Ady Prabowo mentioned that efforts have been made within the police institution to educate police personnel about press freedom since their training at the National Police School.

“I have just been made aware of the alleged intimidation against Gamel. Journalists who encounter such incidents can report them to our Internal Division,” Prabowo added.

Security threats from conservative Islamic groups in Indonesia have forced organizers of a Southeast Asian LGBT event to move it from Jakarta to an undisclosed location.

The Indonesian capital was to host the five-day ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Queer Advocacy Week conference from July 17.

However, the organizing committee which received death threats from conservative groups decided to move the venue citing "security reasons after monitoring the situation very closely, including the anti-LGBT wave on social media.”

“The decision was made to ensure the safety and security of the participants and the committee,” the committee said in a statement.

Arus Pelangi, a Jakarta-based LGBT rights advocacy outfit and the local organizer, claimed in a July 16 statement that they received a barrage of death threats via social media like Twitter and Instagram.

Personal accounts of its activists and the identity of the organizers were disclosed on social media to tarnish its image, Arus Pelangi further claimed.

Hendrika Mayora Victoria, 35, a Catholic transgender and coordinator of Fajar Sikka, a same-sex advocacy group, said, "Indonesia is not ready to accept diversity and is increasingly homophobic."

This latest case was a worrying signal, Victoria added.

"What's sad is that hate speech, under the pretext of certain religious teachings, continues to be echoed," Victoria told UCA News.

"The event actually aims to unify the vision of an inclusive ASEAN region and strive for a safe space for civil society."

The Journalists Union for Diversity and the Alliance of Independent Journalists in a July 16 joint statement lamented local and national media coverage which fueled persecution of same-sex couples.

Most online media reports contain more statements from politicians, police, Ulema (religious) councils, and government officials calling for anti-LGBTQ laws “to increase hostility, hatred, discrimination and persecution against the group," they said.

The Human Rights Working Group, a coalition of NGOs, with the Secretariat for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of the Franciscans as one of its members, urged the police to investigate and take action against perpetrators of hate speech.

Daniel Awigra, the group’s executive director, said the cancellation of the event in Jakarta was "a form of powerlessness and failure of the state in its constitutional obligation to guarantee a sense of security for everyone without exception to express and assemble peacefully."

"The state should actually take action against the perpetrators who have been spreading incitement and hatred," he said.

Same-sex couples are vulnerable to discrimination in Indonesia, the largest Muslim nation in the world.

Earlier this month, Garut district in West Java province passed a regulation criminalizing same-sex activities.

In December last year, a visit by US special LGBTQ envoy Jessica Stern was canceled after resistance from Islamic groups.

In December 2021, Bogor, a city in West Java province passed a regulation to prevent sexually deviant behavior.

Between 2006 and 2017, Arus Pelangi recorded 172 cases of persecution in Indonesia, including intimidation, physical and verbal abuse, and maltreatment against same-sex couples.

Police officials have forcibly returned more than a thousand residents of Pasaman Barat who had been demonstrating at the West Sumatra Governor's Office since Monday (31/7/2023). The process was marked by turmoil and the arrest of several residents, students, and non-governmental organization members who were accused of being provocateurs.

The forced repatriation of residents of Nagari Air Bangis, West Pasaman, consisting of adult men and women, children, and elderly residents, occurred at the Grand Mosque of West Sumatra, in the city of Padang, on Saturday (5/8/2023) afternoon. The incident took place while approximately 20 representatives of the masses were in a dialogue with the Governor of West Sumatra and members of the Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda) at the Governor's Office of West Sumatra.

During the incident, the crowd who had been using the first floor of the Grand Mosque of West Sumatra as a place to stay during the demonstration were reciting prayers while waiting for the results of the dialogue with their representatives. However, the police dispersed the residents and some of them were lifted onto buses to be sent to Pasaman Barat.

"We were forced to leave the mosque. Our belongings were scattered. We didn't want to leave, but we were dragged away. As women, we are not strong enough to resist," said Rismawati (40), one of the protesters who were forced to leave by the authorities, while waiting for a bus in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque of Sumatra Barat, on Saturday afternoon."

Rismawati, who is a resident of Jorong Pigogah Patibubur, Nagari Air Bangis, explained that actually she and her husband have been participating in the protest since Monday and will not go home until their demands are met. However, their family cannot do anything.

"I don't know what will happen next," said Rismawati resignedly. This family is threatened with losing a hectare of oil palm land because it is affected by the 30,000 hectare oil and petrochemical refinery national strategic project (PSN) that has been proposed by the Governor of West Sumatra to the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment since 2021.

On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of remaining residents gathered in the courtyard of the Masjid Raya Sumbar. They were waiting for buses to take them back to their hometowns. Hundreds of police officers were guarding and overseeing the process of mass repatriation.

Samsul (35), a resident of Jorong Pigogah Patibubur, expressed the same thing. "We were forcibly sent home without any negotiation, while our friends were still in dialogue at the governor's office. Some residents were immediately put on the bus, how could we resist," he said.

Previously, around 1,500 residents of Nagari Air Bangis accompanied by students and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) held a demonstration in front of the West Sumatra Governor's Office since last Monday. The residents demanded that the national strategic project proposal be revoked as it encompasses their managed area.

The masses also demanded that the land they had managed for generations be removed from production forest status. They also demanded that members of the Mobile Brigade guarding the community plantation forest (HTR) program managed by the multi-business cooperative (KSU) in the area be withdrawn. HTR locations also overlap with community land.

In addition, the crowd also demands that two people detained by the West Sumatra Regional Police for purchasing farmers' harvest be released. They were detained for allegedly buying palm oil plantation products located in forest areas without permission.

Not only did the police forcefully return the residents, they also arrested dozens of citizens, students, and NGO members who accompanied the crowd. They were accused of being provocateurs who held the crowd back from returning to Pasaman Barat.

Director of Legal Aid Institution (LBH) Padang, Indira Suryani, in a written statement, stated that there were 4 citizens, 3 students, and 7 legal assistants who were arrested and forcibly taken to the West Sumatra Regional Police Office.

"The police's actions constitute an abuse of power and a violation of human rights as their use of force clearly violates the guarantee of protection and respect for freedom of expression in public, as regulated by the 1945 Constitution, the Human Rights Law, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Freedom of Expression in Public Act, and the Human Rights Law," he said.

Separately, the Head of the Operational Bureau of the West Sumatera Regional Police, Chief Commissioner Djadjuli, stated that there were indeed several individuals who were taken by the authorities, but he did not know the exact number. "Several are suspected of inciting residents to persist, so we detained them for questioning," he said.

Regarding the forced repatriation of protesters, Djadjuli explained that the authorities had previously invited and urged citizens to go home. Some citizens agreed, while some did not, and some provoked others to not leave. "We took those who provoked us, and those who did not want to go, we transported them (to Pasaman Barat)," he said.

According to Djadjuli, law enforcement officers cannot wait for the crowd to be sent home after the dialogue process is completed. Because it is feared that after the dialogue, the crowd will still remain at the Masjid Raya Sumbar and Padang City. "This is a place of worship and it disturbs the activities of other communities," he said.

Djadjuli added that during the last 5-6 days of holding protests, the residents also did not have permits. The mass action on Jenderal Sudirman Street in front of the West Sumatra Governor's Office disrupted traffic. "We are helping these Air Bangis residents to return home, so that they can continue their activities. Children can go to school, parents can work," he said.

Regime forces tortured and killed three leading members of a local student union in Sagaing Region’s Budalin Township last Friday, according to activist sources.

The three victims, who were all in their late teens, were captured during an early-morning raid on the village of Nyaung Kan, located some 10km west of the town of Budalin, the sources said.

“Their hands were tied behind their backs and they were stabbed in the chest with knives. After they were tortured, they were put to death,” a member of the Budalin Township branch of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) told Myanmar Now.

The victims were identified as student union chair Kyaw Win Thant, 18, vice-chair Kyal Sin Nyein Chan, 19, and information officer Thuta Nay, 19.

At least two other people, including a member of a local resistance team, were also killed, the ABFSU member added, citing villagers who had escaped the raid.

Student unions have played a leading role in organising anti-junta protests in the township. The unions represent not only university students, but also primary and secondary students.

According to pro-regime Telegram channels, a commando force recently overran and razed a camp run by “terrorists” in the township.

Some 150 regime troops based in Budalin have been attacking villages west of the town since July 25. Ywarthar, a village near Nyaung Kan, was also targeted on Friday. Both villages lost a number of houses to arson attacks, according to locals.

The junta has not released any information about its operations in Budalin, which is less 40km north of Monywa, Sagaing’s capital and largest city, where the headquarters of the Northwestern Regional Military Command is also located.

The arrest on treason charges of dozens of political activists in Papua will only add to the long list of human rights violations in the region, activists say. However, the police said it was in accordance with the law.

The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) claims there was no declaration of 'Free Papua' in its organisational activities in Tambrauw Regency, Southwest Papua.

Meanwhile, the police said they had two pieces of evidence related to three KNPB members in Tambrauw as treason suspects with a life sentence or a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The police denied that this was part of the suppression of civil and political rights.

On the other hand, a number of groups consider that the arrest of three KNPB members on treason charges will only add to the long list of civil and political rights violations in Papua.

KNPB's version of the arrest chronology

In a statement to BBC News Indonesia, KNPB national spokesperson Ones Suhuniap said, "There was no declaration whatsoever."

This refers to the arrest of 19 KNPB members in Tambrauw, Southwest Papua on Friday (09/06).

"There, the KNPB has a sector management, in this case, the community environment in the countryside. They were there to inaugurate the sector management," said Ones.

After the inauguration activities were completed and the participants were "sitting eating and drinking coffee" suddenly the police came with complete weapons, and made arrests.

"The activity did not interfere with residents' activities... It did not interfere with anything. Disrupting public activities, and disturbing other people, that doesn't exist," Ones continued.

He also dismissed allegations that his organisation was affiliated with TPNPB-OPM.

"Has the KNPB ever held a gun and killed the police? Did the KNPB shoot civilians, be it indigenous Papuans or non-Papuans in Papua?" Ones wondered.

According to Ones, the activities carried out by the KNPB are guaranteed in Law No. 9 of 1998 concerning Freedom of Expression in Public.

He urged the release of the three members because "There is no legal basis for detaining them."

According to Ones, his organisation still "exists", because the problems in Papua are "getting murkier".

Even though for more than a decade, the four roots of the Papuan problem have been clearly raised in the research, he said.

However, they have not been resolved, making the conflict in Papua protracted, Ones added.

He then explained what he called the "four roots of the Papua problem".

These are, among others, the issue of the history and political status of Papua's integration into Indonesia, and protracted military operations that only create collective wounds.

Then, what he called the "marginalisation of Papuans from the modernisation process, and the failure of Papuan development".

The Indonesian government under President Joko Widodo is trying to boost development in Papua, which consists of Papua Province and West Papua Province, mainly through infrastructure projects.

Since 2001, the central government has also implemented a special autonomy policy in Papua, which is characterised by, among other things, the disbursement of funds for the benefit of the Papuan people.

This special autonomy policy is claimed to be evidence of Jakarta's seriousness in solving problems in Papua, however, some experts say the funds have failed to be utilised properly and have been misused several times.

Police claim to have two pieces of evidence

Of the 19 arrested, three KNPB members were named as treason suspects. A total of 16 others have been released, police said.

It is said that the three suspects with the initials UK, YY and WY are threatened with life imprisonment or a maximum imprisonment of 20 years.

Tambrauw Police Chief, AKBP Bendot Dwi Prasetyo, said his party had pocketed two sufficient evidences.

"Here, we have obtained these evidence tools, witness statements that the suspects have committed the act," he said.

In addition, the KNPB's activities are under police supervision because the organisation is "not registered" with the National Unity and Politics Agency (Kesbangpol). In a report by the Antara news agency, a number of KNPB members were also suspected of carrying out an attack on Posramil Kisor in 2021.

"So, that is what grounds us that the KNPB is a banned organisation," said AKBP Bendot Dwi Prasetyo.

On 25 June 2023, human rights defender and union leader Shahidul Islam was attacked by a group of men at the Prince Jacquard Sweaters factory in Gazipur while resolving a worker payment dispute. He died the same day from the fatal inuries sustained during the attack. Shahidul Islam was the president of the Gazipur unit of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers’ Federation (BGIWF). He advocated for workers’ rights throughout his 25-year-long career as an organiser. As a former garment worker, Shahidul Islam noticed the lack of transparency regarding workers’ rights and began working as an organiser and later a union leader. From 1999 to 2002, he worked with the Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers’ Union Federation (BIGUF). From 2003 to 2006, the human rights defender worked for the civil society organisations Nari Uddog Kendro and Bangladesh Krishi Federation. In 2006, he joined the Bangladesh Centre for Workers’ Solidarity (BCWS) as a senior organiser and worked there until 2012. In the same year, he became a senior organiser at the BGIWF, and later became president of the Gazipur district committee. Throughout his career, Shahidul Islam successfully mobilised thousands of workers and factory-level leaders to join trade unions. He also supported thousands of workers to receive arrears and severance pay that they had been wrongfully denied by their employers. Shahidul Islam’s work and contributions to the labour movement were significant in raising awareness about the human rights situation of factory workers in Bangladesh. Shahidul Islam died after sustaining fatal injuries in an attack that took place outside the Prince Jacquard Sweaters factory in Gazipur on 25 June 2023. The human rights defender and his colleagues were resolving a dispute over salaries and the Eid bonus owed to the factory workers, when a group of men arrived and began violently beating them. Three other union leaders were severely injured in the attack which left Shahidul Islam unconsious. He was later taken to Tairunnessa Memorial Medical College Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The human rigths defender is survived by his wife and two sons. He was the sole breadwinner of his family. His wife is a former organiser battling cancer and her husband’s killing has added to their already challenging circumstances. On 26 June 2023, Kalpona Akter, president of the BGIWF, filed a case with the Tongi West Police Station, alleging that the attack was carried out on the orders of the factory owner. According to sources, the officer in charge stated that the police had already arrested the key suspect in the case, adding that the killing stemmed from a feud with another labour organisation. The killing of Shahidul Islam is indicative of the violations and unjust treatment faced by garment workers in Bangladesh. His death also reflects on the vulnerability and dangers faced by human rights defenders who raise their voices on the lack of transparency regarding workers’ rights and work to safeguard labour rights in Bangladesh. Front Line Defenders condemns the killing of human rights defender and union leader Shahidul Islam as it believes it is directly related to his work in defence of human rights, especially labour rights of people in Bangladesh. Front Line Defenders is gravely concerned about the mistreatment and threats facing human rights defenders working to improve the labour conditions of garment workers in Bangladesh. Front Line Defenders is also seriously concerned about the physical and psychological wellbeing of the human rights defender’s family and colleagues.

A demonstration by Papuan students commemorating 56 years of PT Freeport Indonesia in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar on April 7 was broken up by the Indonesian Muslim Brigade (BMI) and a biker gang as the protesters were marching towards the Mandala Monument.

Around 30 students from the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) initially took turns giving speeches in front of the Papua student dormitory on Jalan Lanto Daeng Pasewang.

They conveyed a number of demands aimed at the central government while they unfurled a banner with the message "Close PT Freeport Indonesia and all foreign companies in the land of Papua. Withdraw the military from the land of Papua. Papua is not an empty land. Stop land theft".

"Give [us] the right to self-determination as a democratic solution for the nation of West Papua", said action coordinator Miku on Friday.

The students also demanded that the revised Special Autonomy Law been revoked immediately and the cancellation of the recently created provinces of Southwest Papua, Central Papua, the Papua Highlands and South Papua.

"Then open up the widest possible access to both foreign as well as national journalists in West Papua. Withdraw all organic and non-organic military in West Papua", they demanded.

They also asked the Indonesian government to immediately and unconditionally release all West Papuan political prisoners.

"Close PT Freeport, BP, LNG Tangguh as well as reject the development of the Wabu Block and exploitation by PT Antam in the Bintang Highlands. Then arrest, try and imprison the human rights violating generals", said Miku.

After giving speeches, the demonstrators then moved off from the dormitory towards the Mandala or West Iran Liberation Monument on Jalan Jendral Sudirman under the close guard of police.

Half way through the march to the monument however, members of the BMI and a gang of bikers suddenly attacked the students using sticks.

Finding themselves under pressure by the BMI and biker gang, the Papuan students chose to disband and return to their dormitory.

The demonstrators who were members of the Papuan People's Solidarity Against Racism (SRPMR) were forcibly dispersed by the police when they wanted to speak freely in front of the Jayapura District Court (PN) office, Tuesday (11/4/2023) morning.

In previous hearings, the demonstrators held silent demonstrations in order to press for a decision on the case of Victor Yeimo, spokesman for the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), who was charged with treason during an anti-racism rally in 2019.

Ones Suhuniap, national spokesperson for the Central KNPB, explained that the masses began to gather around 07.00 WIT in front of the Jayapura District Court. At around 09.00 WIT, said Ones, the security forces immediately dispersed the demonstrators.

Because they were forcibly dispersed by being hit with rubber batons, the demonstrators then chose to move to the Abepura circle until they stopped at Jalan Biak. There they gathered and gave speeches. They also read out the attitude statement.

According to Ones, the forced dispersal of the silent mass was carried out by the police in a repressive manner so that several people were injured.

“Earlier the police dispersed the silent mass demonstration by force. We saw that someone was beaten until he bled. One person was arrested, but the police took him where we were looking for," Ones told suarapapua.com via cell phone.

Ones said nine people were beaten by the police when they were forcibly dispersed, including Ronald Mirin, Kurus Felle, Eko Passe, Kenias Payage, Kelaus Bay, Pumegen, Nodi, Anto and Awe Gobai. One person named Iman Kogoya was arrested.

“As a result of the beatings, some of them experienced swelling on their backs, hands and heads that were bleeding. All pamphlets and banners were also confiscated by the police earlier," he explained.

Kenias Payage, the person in charge of the silent action, said Victor Yeimo had undergone 33 trials. Of the 5 fact witnesses presented by the Public Prosecutor (JPU), there were no incriminating testimonies that even proved Victor Yeimo committed treason and incitement during the August 19 2019 action.

"Victor Yeimo and the KNPB were not responsible for the racist act on 19 August 2019 in the city of Jayapura. Victor Yeimo was present to deliver an oration at the request of the people. Victor Yeimo has never called for mass demonstrations to carry out anarchic acts," said Kenias.

It was emphasized that the four articles charged against Victor Yeimo had been broken with the testimony of expert witnesses presented by Victor Yeimo's legal advisory coalition.

"From all the facts at the trial it is clear that Victor Yeimo is being criminalized by the state with political sentiments to silence Victor Yeimo as an activist for the Free Papua movement," said Kenias.

Victor Yeimo, according to him, was criminalized with the target of facilitating the Indonesian government's intention to exploit natural resources (SDA) in the Land of Papua through the second special autonomy policy, the division of 6 new provinces and the division of districts/cities that are again being proposed.

At least 14 residents of Dingin Indigenous Village, Muara Lawa District, West Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan were arrested by the local police on Saturday (25/3). The reason, they are considered to hinder mining business activities. Of that number, all were named as suspects.

"One more was released because he was underage but remains a suspect," said Pokja 30 Director Buyung Marajo when confirmed by CNNIndonesia.com, Wednesday (5/4) afternoon.

Buyung said that actually the dozens of residents only wanted to protect their area from becoming a mining area. This is because their source of livelihood from the forest can disappear if it becomes a mining area.

It's not only Dingin Village that feels the impact, there's also Latoq Village. Both are areas of Muara Lawa District.

"However, when they wanted to defend their territory, 12 indigenous people from Tinggi Village were arrested and made suspects. Likewise one lawyer and a minor," said Buyung.

Dozens of indigenous people were charged with Article 162 of the Minerba Law because they were considered to be obstructing mining business activities. There are also those who are charged with Emergency Law No. 12/1951 concerning Sharp Weapons.

Responding to this, the Director of LBH Samarinda, Fathul Huda stated that this situation was tantamount to violating human rights. The reason is, these residents only want to defend their rights to land and rivers so that they are not mined.

"The struggle to defend land and rivers by the indigenous people of Dingin Village is not a crime, let alone hindering company activities. The police should be the party that facilitates the fulfillment of these citizens' rights," said Fathul.

"From the beginning this was their right (land), long before the mining company entered," he added some time ago.