The State Denies (Indonesian)

This document is the 2010 Report on the State of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Indonesia published by the SETARA Institute under the main title “The State Denies”. This fourth annual report critically highlights how the state, through government officials such as the Minister of Religious Affairs and the President, tends to deny the existence of religiously motivated conflicts and violations of its citizens’ fundamental freedoms.

Some of the key findings presented in this document include:

• Throughout 2010, there were 216 incidents of violations of freedom of religion or belief, involving 286 types of violations spread across 20 provinces.
• The five provinces with the highest number of violations are West Java (91 incidents), East Java (28 incidents), DKI Jakarta (16 incidents), North Sumatra (15 incidents), and Central Java (10 incidents).
• The groups most frequently targeted by violations were Christian congregations (75 incidents) and the Ahmadiyya community (50 incidents), with the majority of cases involving bans on or the establishment of places of worship and accusations of heresy.
• State actors were involved in 103 incidents (79 active incidents and 24 incidents of inaction), with the police, regents/mayors, and subdistrict heads recorded as the most frequent perpetrators.
• Non-state actors (citizens or community groups) committed 183 violations, including criminal acts, acts of intolerance, and condoning (statements by public figures that incited violence).