Uwazi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keeping them quiet

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unusually strict

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also read: 87 Percent Realized Forest Area Release

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scammed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is understood that Mukmin is being investigated for sedition.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The International Labor Organization said it will respond by Friday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pakistani officials have not responded to Pashteen’s charges.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2:00pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The journalists’ cameras were vandalised, too.

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

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

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

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

He blamed the ruling Awami League activists for the attacks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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