August is a very special month for Indonesia. It is a celebration of Indonesia’s Independence Day which falls on August 17, and this year marks the 65th year. Amidst numerous positive achievements made by Indonesia there are a lot of works that need to be done. Alleviating poverty, protecting human rights, eradicating corruption, and strengthening legal reform initiatives are some of works that should be seriously addressed by the Government of Indonesia. August this year is also a special month for Moslems in Indonesia and elsewhere, as the holy month of Ramadhan comes.

Dear readers, we are pleased to bring you the July 2010 edition of CAVEAT. The attacks against the offices of Tempo magazine and anti-corruption activist Tama Satrya Langkun early this month dominates the coverage in this month’s CAVEAT. The Main Report investigates the incidents and explores need for the Indonesian National Police Force to conduct institutional reform.

On 26th of June 1987, the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman, Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) came into force after ratified by 20 state parties. Now June 26 is commemorated as the International Day in Support of Torture Victims. Indonesia has been a State Party of CAT since 1998. Despite this, the practice of torture is still widespread in Indonesia. Calls to the government to take necessary measures in order to prevent torture have been gaining strength for many years. One specific example is urging the government to ratify the Optional Protocol (OPCAT) which obliges State Parties to allow visits by sanctioned international and national bodies to places of detention. In other words, the Indonesian government will have to allow an international monitoring institution to inspect detention facilities and it will have to create its’ own National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs).

In this month’s Main Report we bring you coverage on a current LBH Masyarakat case. Humphery Ejike, a Nigerian national has been sentenced to death by a South Jakarta District Court after being convicted as a drug dealer. However the court failed to fully prove Mr Ejike’s guilt, instead it is alleged that the charge was fabricated and the judges were influenced by the race of the accused, rather than the evidence presented to the court. Such judicial prejudice has not only violated the Bangalore Principles, which mandates judges to examine cases impartially and in spirit of equality but the case has also violated Mr Ejike’s basic human rights as guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution and Convention on All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) which was ratified by Indonesia in 1999. In addition to being discriminated against because of his race, Jeff has also had his right to fair trial violated as he was not given access to legal counsel or an appropriate interpreting service. The Additional Feature on this edition of CAVEAT reports on the after math of May 1998 riots and reflects on the wounds that have yet to be healed on the 12th anniversary of the events. The article explores the lack of justice obtained by the government on behalf of the many victims despite the abolition of Suhartos New Order regime.

For Indonesians, the month of April is usually dedicated to celebrating the women’s movement. On April 21st we celebrate the birthday of Raden Ajeng Kartini, often called Indonesia’s first feminist, Kartini made a huge impact on women’s emancipation in Indonesia. Unfortunately this April a number human rights violations have marred the celebrations. The constitutional court has rejected a review on the ‘Blasphemy Law’, a prominent LGBT conference was cancelled amid community uproar and a large scale riot in the North Jakarta area of Koja on April 14 dominated the news cycle.