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Two years since taking office, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s administration has shown it does not prioritize civil liberties, evidenced by continued freedom of expression violations, a human rights watchdog has said. “It’s ironic to see that on one hand, law enforcement authorities barely do anything to prevent a violation of freedom of expression, particularly on ... Read More »

When President Widodo was inaugurated on Oct. 20 2014, there was widespread hope that his “can-do” approach would translate into bold decision making and wide-ranging reforms. Two years on, experts believe his reforms have not gone far enough Two years ago, slum-born Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was elected Indonesia’s President, becoming the first leader elected outside of the country’s narrow political ... Read More »

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has been trying to fast-track infrastructure and economic development in Papua over the last two years, but little has been achieved to prevent human rights abuses from taking place in the country’s easternmost region. Soon after he took office, Jokowi made an oath that he would not let Papuans continue to suffer as a result of ... Read More »

Jakarta. Calls are mounting for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to start implementing a proposed roadmap for reconciliation in Papua, with human rights activists claiming that he has failed to calm tensions in the restive province in the two years since he took office. The Jokowi administration has been focusing on infrastructure development projects to boost the economy in Papua, where a ... Read More »

A radio station in Batam, Hang FM, recently made headlines when Singaporean authorities accused it of spreading extremist ideology and radicalizing two of its citizens, who had been arrested under the Internal Security Act for allegedly trying to join the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria. The city-state’s ministry of home affairs alleged that Rosli Hamzah, 50, and Mohamed Omar ... Read More »