April 29, 2025 | 02:32 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amnesty International Indonesia has raised concerns over the persistent violence and intimidation targeting human rights defenders in the country, recording at least 123 cases involving physical assaults, digital attacks, threats, and other retaliatory actions against 288 individuals throughout 2024.
Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, attributed the frequency of such incidents to a lack of strong legal safeguards.
"This makes human rights defenders vulnerable to threats and intimidation," Usman said during the release of Amnesty International’s Annual Human Rights Report in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
He added that the absence of robust legal frameworks also results in weak law enforcement, with only a few perpetrators of violence against human rights defenders in 2024 being brought to justice.
Among the cases highlighted was the shooting of lawyer and human rights advocate Yan Christian Warinussy in Manokwari, West Papua, on July 17, 2024, after attending a corruption trial.
"As of the end of the year, there has been no progress known in the police investigation," Usman stated.
It was not until February 2025 that police arrested a suspect, ZT, in connection with the shooting. The arrest took place at a residence in Manokwari Regency and was carried out by the Manokwari City Police Special Team.
ZT’s testimony led investigators to identify four additional suspects, including the alleged mastermind, OU, who is still at large. According to Manokwari City Police Chief Commissioner Rivadin B. Simangunsong, the attack on Yan was linked to a separate legal case: the murder of Yahya Sayori, for which Yan had been providing legal assistance.
"It is motivated by another issue currently being processed in court, namely the murder case of the late Yahya Sayori, who was accompanied by lawyer Yan Christian Warinussy," said Rivadin.
Hans Arnold Kapisa contributed to this article.
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