"The year 2019 was a grim year for human rights enforcement," Deputy Chair of Komnas HAM Hairansyah stated during an online press conference on Tuesday.
The Commission noted that several polling officers (KPPS) had lost their lives following the April 2019 simultaneous presidential and legislative elections, while 10 protesters died during the post-election rallies on May 21-23 in Jakarta, whereas five protesters lost their lives, and two others got injured during rallies held to reject the revisions of the law on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Criminal Code (KUHP) in several regions.
Until now, the perpetrators behind the loss of those lives have neither been named nor processed legally.
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The aforementioned reports on human rights violations were among 2,727 complaints received by Komnas HAM in 2019, with most grievances targeting the National Police.
Most allegations of human rights violations committed by the police concerned the use of force, reaching 45 percent; followed by slow handling of cases, touching 23 percent; legal proceedings not following the procedures, at 10 percent; torture, 10 percent; criminalization, five percent; discrimination, four percent; and others, three percent.
In order to prevent future violation of human rights and no recurrence of the 2019 bleak human rights records, the Commission has recommended that the president bolster the commitment to intensify the protection of human rights and promote policies and regulations in line with the human rights standards.
"The context in the future is how to restore human spirit or dignity in the nation, especially the state, particularly the government," Hairansyah emphasized.
Komnas HAM has recommended to the National Police chief to end the culture of violence within the ranks and files of the apparatus and to steer clear from the use of torture in the line of duty.
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Translator: Dyah Dwi A, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
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