Indonesia’s Revised Criminal Code (Revisi Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Pidana) legislating hate against LGBTQ persons. We, the undersigned civil society organizations working in Southeast Asia, express serious concern over the looming criminalization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and other gender minorities in Indonesia. We call on the government of Indonesia to reconsider the approval [ Read more ]

42nd Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 4: General Debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention Oral Statement Delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) Tuesday, 17 September 2019 Mr. President, FORUM-ASIA calls for the Council’s attention on the human [ Read more ]

Indonesia: ASEAN Human Rights Body needs to be proactive on addressing the situation in Papua (Bangkok, 16 September 2019) The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), together with its members in Indonesia, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor [ Read more ]

Findings made by FORUM-ASIA through its recent publication on the 10-year evaluation of  the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) have indicated room for improvement that can be implemented by the regional human rights mechanism to be fully effective on addressing the human rights issues in the region, particularly when it comes to provide [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 23 August 2019) – We, the undersigned civil society organisations, express grave concerns on the recent escalating violence and human rights violations against people of Papua conducted by Indonesian security forces and fundamentalist groups. We call on the Government of Indonesia to side with the victims and fully protect the human rights of people [ Read more ]

As part of monitoring the work of the ASEAN human rights mechanism, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), and Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) in partnership with the Representative of Indonesia to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), wish to organise a [ Read more ]

As freedom of expression is being curtailed and civic space is shrinking across Asia, few groups are as much under pressure as the media and human rights defenders. Both are facing harassment, incarceration and even being killed in countries across the region. However, in most instances the two do not manage to overcome their differences [ Read more ]

Indonesia: Civil society groups call on the President to side with victims of sexual harassment and violence (Bangkok/ Jakarta, 10 July 2019) – We, the undersigned civil society organisations, denounce Indonesia’s Supreme Court decision that rejected the reconsideration of the court decision against Baiq Nuril, a victim of online sexual harassment criminalised under the Electronic [ Read more ]

For this month’s e-newsletter, FORUM-ASIA talked with Wahyu Wagiman, Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), a human rights organisation from Indonesia and new member of FORUM-ASIA. Wahyu has been advocating for the protection and promotion of human rights in Indonesia for many years. In this interview, Wahyu shared about his motivation and the difficulties [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 7 March 2019) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly denounces the arrest of Robertus Robet, academic and human rights defender, last night on 6 March around 23:30. Robet is being accused of criminal defamation under Article 45 (2) and 28 (2) of the Electronic Information and Transaction Law, and of [ Read more ]