Latest news with #AmnestyInternationalIndonesia
Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Convicted Indonesian military general set to get key finance ministry post
JAKARTA - Indonesia is expected to appoint a military officer - once found guilty of kidnapping rights activists - to a top finance ministry post, two sources said, underlining the military's growing role in governing the world's third largest democracy. The appointment, expected to be formalised by the finance minister on Friday, is the most prominent civilian post given to a military officer since the government in March gave legal cover to such postings, which rights groups fear could take Indonesia back towards authoritarian rule. Lieutenant General Djaka Budhi Utama, who was a member of the army's special forces in the 1990s when they were commanded by President Prabowo Subianto, is expected to head the customs and excise unit of the revenue department, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The sources asked not to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to the media on the issue. The president's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment, nor did a military spokesperson. The finance ministry declined to comment. Past local media reports say that Utama and several members of the special forces' "Rose Team" were found guilty of kidnapping and forcefully disappearing rights activists in the 1990s during the rule of Suharto, the general turned authoritarian president who was overthrown in 1998. Utama was sentenced in 1999 to one year and four months in jail after a military trial, according to local media reports, but it is unclear if he served any time in prison. He remained in the military despite the conviction. "This is a rollback of Indonesia's democratic reform," Amnesty International Indonesia's Usman Hamid told Reuters, also pointing out that, even under the new law, military personnel posted in several civilian positions, including under the finance ministry, had to retire first. Utama remains in active service. "This is clear evidence of ignorance towards the victims' rights," said Ardi Manto Adiputra from rights group Imparsial. Utama has also held posts in other ministries, but those were related to security, unlike his expected finance ministry posting. "To lead the customs unit, it should be someone who understands the complexity of customs issues," Jahen Rezki, an economist at University of Indonesia, said, questioning the appointment. Prabowo, who took office last October, was dismissed from the military following allegations of human rights abuses - though there were no formal charges. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
South China Morning Post
19-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Jailing of Indonesian trans woman for Jesus' hair remark raises rights concerns
The imprisonment of an Indonesian transgender influencer who suggested Jesus Christ needed a haircut under a controversial blasphemy law has sparked concerns from human rights advocates about the country's ongoing clampdown on freedom of speech. Advertisement A Medan court found social media personality Ratu Thalisa guilty of spreading hate speech against Christianity and sentenced her to two years and 10 months in jail on March 10. The sentence followed a TikTok live stream on October 2 in which Thalisa, who also uses the online name Ratu Entok, responded to a comment that she should cut her hair to look like a man. Thalisa, who is a Muslim transgender woman based in Indonesia's North Sumatra province, went live on her TikTok channel while holding a picture of Jesus, whom she said 'should not look like a woman'. 'You [Jesus] should cut your hair [ …],' said Thalisa, who has over 400,000 followers. Advertisement In a statement provided to This Week in Asia, Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid described the sentence of 34 months in prison as 'a shocking attack on Ratu Thalisa's freedom of expression'.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indonesia activists condemn amendment allowing more military in government
Indonesian activists on Tuesday condemned plans to change a law that would allow the army to have more government positions, a move they say could lead to "abuse" in a country long influenced by its powerful military. The revision to a military law will be voted on Thursday in a parliament dominated by President Prabowo Subianto's coalition after the changes were approved by a key committee Tuesday. The amendment has sparked fears of a return to the era of dictator Suharto, who Prabowo once served and who used military figures to crack down on dissent. "That's their target, despite strong criticism by the public: strengthening the role of the army in the civilian government," Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, told AFP. "That will create conflict of interest and abuse of power, including corruption and human rights violations that have often escaped with total impunity." Military officers can already serve in 10 government agencies including the defence ministry. But under the proposed changes, they would be able to serve in 16, according to a draft seen by AFP, which would include the Supreme Court, national disaster agency and attorney general's office among others. The draft also allows for soldiers to hold civilian positions in other government institutions after resigning or retiring from military service. The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence -- or Kontras -- rejected the latest amendment to the military bill. "The discussion of the... bill revision has been rushed, with minimal public participation, and a lack of transparency in the drafting process," it said in a joint statement with Amnesty and the Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation. It also claimed activists have faced intimidation for opposing the amendment. Prabowo's office did not respond to an AFP request for comment. The ex-general has rehabilitated his image despite allegations of rights abuses under Suharto's rule including ordering the abductions of activists. Remodelling himself as a grandfatherly figure, Prabowo won over voters last year and took office as president of the world's third-biggest democracy. According to Kontras, 23 democracy activists were kidnapped between 1997 and 1998, some who were never found. Prabowo was discharged from the military over the abductions but denied the allegations and was never charged. mrc-jfx/dhc
CNN
11-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Indonesian TikToker jailed for blasphemy for telling Jesus to get a haircut
An Indonesian social media influencer who suggested Jesus should cut his hair has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in jail after being found guilty of spreading hate speech against Christianity. Ratu Thalisa, a Muslim transgender woman who has nearly 450,000 followers on TikTok, was sentenced by a court in North Sumatra province over the comments made to an image of Christ, according to a statement from rights group Amnesty International and local media reports. Thalisa, who is known online as Ratu Entok, made the comments after a viewer said she should cut her hair to look like a man. In a live broadcast on October 2, 2024, Thalisa held up a picture of Jesus Christ and said: 'You should not look like a woman. You should cut your hair so that you will look like his father.' Five Christian groups filed complaints to Indonesian police alleging blasphemy, leading to Thalisa's arrest on October 8. In addition to jail time, the court ordered Thalisa to pay a fine of around $6,200. She was sentenced under Indonesia's Electronic Information and Transactions (EIT) law after the court ruled that her comments could affect 'public order' and 'religious harmony.' Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid said Monday that the 'sentence is a shocking attack on Ratu Thalisa's freedom of expression,' and that the EIT law should not be used to punish people for social media comments. 'While Indonesia should prohibit the advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, Ratu Thalisa's speech act does not reach that threshold,' Hamid said in a statement. According to Amnesty, from 2019 to 2024 at least 560 people were charged with alleged violations of the EIT Law under various offenses, including defamation and hate speech. 'This sentence highlights the increasingly arbitrary and repressive application of Indonesia's EIT law to violate freedom of expression,' he added. 'The authorities must quash Ratu Thalisa's conviction, ensure her immediate and unconditional release and repeal or make substantial revisions of problematic provisions in the EIT Law criminalizing 'immorality,' defamation, and hate speech,' said Hamid. Thalisa is one of a number of people convicted for blasphemy in recent years, most of them for insults to Islam. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation, where 231 million people, at least 93% of its adult population, identify as Muslim. Religious conservatism has been on the rise in the country in recent years and rights groups have warned that blasphemy laws are being 'increasingly weaponized' against religious minorities and those deemed to have insulted Islam. In September 2023, Muslim social media influencer Lina Lutfiawati, known as Lina Mukherjee on social media, was sentenced to two years in prison over a video she shared on TikTok which showed her reciting an Islamic prayer before trying pork. One of Indonesia's most high-profile blasphemy cases was that of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Indonesian politician widely known as Ahok who served as Jakarta's first non-Muslim governor in 50 years. He went on trial for blasphemy in 2017 after angering hardline Muslims by referencing a verse from the Quran while campaigning for re-election in 2016. He was jailed for two years, despite making a public apology.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indonesian TikToker jailed for blasphemy for telling Jesus to get a haircut
An Indonesian social media influencer who suggested Jesus should cut his hair has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in jail after being found guilty of spreading hate speech against Christianity. Ratu Thalisa, a Muslim transgender woman who has nearly 450,000 followers on TikTok, was sentenced by a court in North Sumatra province over the comments made to an image of Christ, according to a statement from rights group Amnesty International and local media reports. Thalisa, who is known online as Ratu Entok, made the comments after a viewer said she should cut her hair to look like a man. In a live broadcast on October 2, 2024, Thalisa held up a picture of Jesus Christ and said: 'You should not look like a woman. You should cut your hair so that you will look like his father.' Five Christian groups filed complaints to Indonesian police alleging blasphemy, leading to Thalisa's arrest on October 8. In addition to jail time, the court ordered Thalisa to pay a fine of around $6,200. She was sentenced under Indonesia's Electronic Information and Transactions (EIT) law after the court ruled that her comments could affect 'public order' and 'religious harmony.' Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid said Monday that the 'sentence is a shocking attack on Ratu Thalisa's freedom of expression,' and that the EIT law should not be used to punish people for social media comments. 'While Indonesia should prohibit the advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, Ratu Thalisa's speech act does not reach that threshold,' Hamid said in a statement. According to Amnesty, from 2019 to 2024 at least 560 people were charged with alleged violations of the EIT Law under various offenses, including defamation and hate speech. 'This sentence highlights the increasingly arbitrary and repressive application of Indonesia's EIT law to violate freedom of expression,' he added. 'The authorities must quash Ratu Thalisa's conviction, ensure her immediate and unconditional release and repeal or make substantial revisions of problematic provisions in the EIT Law criminalizing 'immorality,' defamation, and hate speech,' said Hamid. Thalisa is one of a number of people convicted for blasphemy in recent years, most of them for insults to Islam. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation, where 231 million people, at least 93% of its adult population, identify as Muslim. Religious conservatism has been on the rise in the country in recent years and rights groups have warned that blasphemy laws are being 'increasingly weaponized' against religious minorities and those deemed to have insulted Islam. In September 2023, Muslim social media influencer Lina Lutfiawati, known as Lina Mukherjee on social media, was sentenced to two years in prison over a video she shared on TikTok which showed her reciting an Islamic prayer before trying pork. One of Indonesia's most high-profile blasphemy cases was that of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Indonesian politician widely known as Ahok who served as Jakarta's first non-Muslim governor in 50 years. He went on trial for blasphemy in 2017 after angering hardline Muslims by referencing a verse from the Quran while campaigning for re-election in 2016. He was jailed for two years, despite making a public apology.
