Month: September 2016

Liputan: LIGHTS (Living The Human Rights) 2016

Living The Human Rights (LIGHTS) merupakan kegiatan tahunan yang diselenggarakan oleh LBH Masyarakat. Lights, yang awalnya bernama Summer Internship, merupakan kegiatan yang bertujuan membumikan konsep HAM sehingga mahasiswa/i dapat mengidentifikasi dan memecahkan problem hak asasi manusia (HAM) yang terjadi  disekitar mereka. Konsep membumikan HAM dilakukan dengan metode seperti pemberian materi, diskusi, sharing pengalaman, kunjungan ke berbagai komunitas, hingga pemutaran film. Sejak tahun 2007, Lights telah menghasilkan ratusan orang alumnus yang tersebar diseluruh Indonesia.

Naila Rizqi menjadi moderator penutupan LIGHTS 2016 yang menghadirkan 3 perempuan tangguh sebagai pembicara: Siti Aminah, Tunggal Pawestri, Prodita Sabarani
Naila Rizqi menjadi moderator penutupan LIGHTS 2016 yang menghadirkan 3 perempuan tangguh sebagai pembicara: Siti Aminah, Tunggal Pawestri, dan Prodita Sabarani

Tahun ini, kegiatan LIGHTS kembali diadakan oleh LBH Masyarakat pada 29 Juli – 12 Agustus 2016. Setelah melalui seleksi oleh panitia Lights, terpilihah 19 mahasiswa/i yang diterima sebagai peserta Lights 2016. Tercatat 13 orang berasal dari fakultas hukum dan 6 orang peserta dari fakultas Non-hukum.

Pelaksanaan LIGHTS tahun ini sedikit berbeda dengan pelaksanaan Lights sebelumnya. Pertama, Lights tahun ini memberikan kesempatan bagi mahasiswa/i multi disipliner untuk ikut serta. Alasan diberikannya kesempatan bagi mahasiwa/i multi-disipliner karena LBH Masyarakat meyakini bahwa konsep HAM itu harus dipahami dan dilakukan oleh semua mahasiswa apapun fakultasnya. Keterlibatan mahasiwa multi-disipliner diharapkan akan dapat membumikan konsep HAM dengan efektif dan masif. Kedua, materi Lights tahun ini fokus untuk mengenalkan isu-isu yang concern dilakukan oleh LBH Masyarakat. Isu-isu tersebut antara lain hak atas kesehatan, narkotika, LGBT rights, perempuan dan anak, hukuman mati dan lain sebagainya.

Berikut adalah pesan-kesan dari Diny Arista Risandy, peserta terbaik LIGHTS 2016:

Terpilih untuk menjadi peserta “Living The Human Rights 2016” (LIGHTS 2016) yang diselenggarakan oleh Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Masyarakat selama dua minggu di bulan Agustus lalu, menjadi salah satu pengalaman berharga bagi diri saya secara pribadi. Jadi, jika kemudian harus menjawab pertanyaan seperti ‘hal-hal apa saja yang telah saya dapatkan setelah mengikuti program ini,’ nampaknya tidak mungkin dapat saya jawab hanya dengan satu dua kata saja — ‘cause I have totally gained lots of knowledge that surely broaden my horizons of thought.

Lain halnya ketika belajar di kampus, yang menitikberatkan pembelajaran mengenai Hukum dan HAM dari perspektif teoritis semata, melalui LIGHTS 2016 saya mendapatkan pengetahuan yang jauh lebih komprehensif mengenai teori-teori Hukum dan HAM, serta berbagai isu terkait penegakan Hukum dan HAM yang terjadi secara konkret di lapangan.

Usman Hamid datang sebagai pemateri dalam LIGHTS 2016 dan menjelaskan mengenai Kampanye HAM
Usman Hamid datang sebagai pemateri dalam LIGHTS 2016 dan menjelaskan mengenai Kampanye HAM

Beberapa isu tersebut, yang pertama di antaranya ialah terkait dengan fakta dan tantangan perlindungan serta pemenuhan HAM pada Orang dengan Gangguan Jiwa (ODGJ) di Indonesia. Skizofrenia sebagai salah satu bentuk bentuk gangguan jiwa yang dialami manusia, dibahas secara spesifik oleh Bagus Utomo, Ketua Komunitas Peduli Skizofrenia Indonesia (KPSI) saat saya dan peserta lainnnya mengunjungi KPSI. Skizofrenia singkatnya merupakan sebuah penyakit yang menyebabkan penderita tidak memilki kemampuan menilai mana yang bersifat realitas mana yang bersifat imajiner, sehingga si penderita ini seringkali merasakan adanya rangsangan pada panca inderanya tanpa ada sumber yang nyata atas rangsangan tersebut. Misalnya, si penderita seringkali mendengar bisikan-bisikan yang bersifat ‘mengolok-olok’ dirinya. Bisikan tersebut tidaklah nyata, akan tetapi terasa sangat konkret bagi si penderita sehingga dalam jangka waktu lama si penderita bisa menjadi stress dan kemudian phobia akan lingkungan sosial.

Isu perihal Skizofrenia ini masih belum membumi di Indonesia, sehingga para penderita Skizofrenia tidak mendapatkan penanganan layak untuk penyembuhan. Berdasarkan pernyataan Bagus Otomo sebagai narasumber, sekitar 40% penderita Skizofrenia melakukan upaya bunuh diri. Di Indonesia sendiri, 2-3 juta orang telah menderita Skizofrenia dan setiap harinya ada penderita yang meninggal dunia karena keterlantaran. Hal yang demikian kemudian bisa menjadi sebuah bentuk kejahatan pembiaran (crime by omission) oleh Negara, di mana Negara dalam hal ini tidak mengupayakan perawatan dan penyembuhan bagi penderita Skizofrenia pula telah mempersulit hak si penderita untuk menerima layanan kesehatan yang maksimal.

Selain terbatasnya akses atas kesehatan, tantangan-tantangan lain yang dihadapi ialah bahwa dengan memberi label kepada penderita Skizofrenia dengan istilah ‘gila,’ hal yang demikian menyebabkan sulitnya akses penderita atas pekerjaan demi menunjang penghidupan yang layak. Akibat dilabeli ‘gila,’ penderita Skizofrenia ditakuti oleh masyarakat, dan tidak jarang penderita Skizofrenia ini kemudian berusaha sekuat tenaga menolak kenyataan bahwa dirinya mengidap Skizofrenia. Padahal mereka juga berhak dan dimungkinkan produktif kembali dengan pengobatan yang sesuai dengan tingkatan gejala yang dihadapinya.

Peserta berkunjung ke Komunitas Kali Adem, komunitas nelayan dampingan LBH Masyarakat.
Peserta berkunjung ke Komunitas Kali Adem, komunitas nelayan dampingan LBH Masyarakat.

Selain itu, yang menarik perhatian saya secara khusus ialah pembahasan mengenai HIV/AIDS. Ayu Oktariani, seorang ODHA (Orang dengan HIV/AIDS) yang telah cukup lama terjun ke masyarakat untuk membantu ODHA lainnya, menjadi narasumber dalam LIGHTS 2016 dan berbagi ilmu dan pengalaman, di antaranya soal stigma negatif masyarakat awam bahwa ODHA berawal dari hal-hal semacam free sex dan penggunaan obat-obatan terlarang secara illegal dan oleh sebab itu yang bersangkutan bukanlah pribadi yang ‘terhormat.’ Lahir pula pandangan keliru (dan dimiliki oleh banyak masyarakat) lainnya, yakni bahwa HIV/AIDS itu dapat menular dengan sangat mudah layaknya penyakit flu atau batuk, sehingga berdekatan dan berbincang dengan ODHA adalah hal yang berbahaya karena akan berpotensi besar tertular. Padahal hal demikian sama sekali tidak benar, sebab media penularan HIV/AIDS hanya melalui darah, cairan sperma/vagina, dan Air Susu Ibu (ASI).

Perlu kita sadari bersama bahwa stigma negatif serta pandangan yang keliru semacam ini membawa dampak yang sangat besar bagi kehidupan ODHA. ODHA seringkali termarjinalkan, sebab dengan stigma negatif dan pandangan yang keliru tersebut ODHA tidak dapat bersosialisasi dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat, yang mana masyarakat senantiasa ingin menjaga jarak akibat ketakutan yang tidak berdasar. Hak untuk dapat berekspresi, menikah dan melanjutkan keturunan, serta hak atas pekerjaan sebagaimana dijamin oleh negara hanya menjadi harapan semu, sebab eksistensi ODHA itu sendiri dianggap sebagai bahaya bagi yang lainnya. Padahal mereka adalah pihak yang justru perlu mendapatkan perhatian lebih; mereka berhak atas informasi bahwa mereka juga tetap memiliki probabilitas untuk memiliki pasangan, mempunyai keturunan, dan hidup bahagia. Bayangkan saja bahwa pada kenyataannya terjadi fenomena seorang anak Sekolah Dasar yang terkena HIV/AIDS dipaksa keluar dari tempatnya menuntut ilmu karena desakan para orang tua siswa lain agar anak yang bersangkutan keluar dari sekolah tersebut; sang anak kemudian tidak ingin lagi menuntut ilmu dan memilih untuk terus berada di rumah — betapa sedihnya sang anak yang kemudian melabeli dirinya sendiri sebagai ‘sampah masyarakat,’ tanpa tahu apa yang salah atas dirinya. Selain itu, keluarga yang tidak suportif juga menjadi masalah besar bagi seorang ODHA sehingga tidak jarang mereka lebih memilih untuk hidup menyendiri tanpa menikmati indahnya kebersamaan keluarga.

Peserta berkunjung ke OPSI. Mempelajari mengenai aspek-aspek hak asasi manusia dalam kehidupan pekerja seks.
Peserta berkunjung ke OPSI. Mempelajari aspek-aspek hak asasi manusia dalam kehidupan pekerja seks.

Beberapa pembelajaran tersebut kemudian membuka cakrawala berpikir saya menjadi jauh lebih luas, yakni bahwa sudah seyogyanya saya tidak melihat fenomena sosial yang ada hanya berbasis satu sudut pandang yang sempit dan menolak untuk melihat perspektif lainnya; sebab ketika saya berkenan melihat keseluruhan aspek, saya menyadari banyak sekali pihak-pihak yang mengalami pelanggaran HAM dan oleh karenanya tidak dapat menjalani kehidupan yang layak. Pihak-pihak tersebut terkungkung dalam penilaian mengenai benar dan salah serta baik dan buruk oleh konstruksi sosial secara umum di masyarakat yang bersifat asumtif dan seringkali tidak tepat.

Oleh karena itu, program-program yang berkaitan dengan pembelajaran mengenai Hukum dan HAM harus terus digalakkan, agar masyarakat memiliki pemahaman yang lebih baik bahwa tiap-tiap individu memiliki hak-hak asasi yang sepatutnya terpenuhi; dimana ketika telah paham mengenai hak-hak asasi tersebut maka diharapkan menyadari bahwa tidak semua pihak terpenuhi hak-hak asasinya, dan oleh karenanya membutuhkan uluran tangan untuk membantu mewujudkan atau menegakkannya. Paham mengenai Hukum dan HAM juga berarti paham bahwa Negara pun memiliki kewajiban utama untuk menghormati (respect), memenuhi (fulfill), dan melindungi (protect) HAM warga negaranya, dan oleh karenanya sebagai warga negara diharapkan mampu memantau kinerja pemerintah dalam menjalankan kewajiban utamanya tersebut.

LIGHTS 2016, sebagai salah satu program yang memberikan pelatihan di bidang Hukum dan HAM, membawa dampak bagi diri saya pribadi untuk ke depannya bisa berpikir lebih analitis dan kritis terhadap berbagai isu-isu terkait dengan HAM dan penegakan hukum. Program ini juga berkontribusi siginifikan meningkatkan kepekaan dan kepedulian saya secara lebih besar untuk memperjuangkan HAM, membantu para korban pelanggaran HAM serta kaum minoritas membutuhkan bantuan hukum.

Dimoderatori Dominggus Christian Polhaupessy, peserta mendapat materi dari Raynov Gultom dan Muhammad Afif mengenai pendampingan terpidana mati di Indonesia.
Dimoderatori Dominggus Christian, peserta mendapat materi dari Raynov Gultom dan Muhammad Afif mengenai pendampingan terpidana mati di Indonesia.

Liputan acara ini ditulis oleh Dominggus Christian (Staf Penanganan Kasus LBH Masyarakat dan Penanggung Jawab Program LIGHTS 2016) dan Diny Arista (Peserta Terbaik LIGHTS 2016 dan Relawan LBH Masyarakat).

Lessons from Indonesia’s Recent Executions

This piece was written by Ricky Gunawan and was published in Rappler on 9 August 2016.

 

When Merri Utami walked into a McDonalds in Central Jakarta in 2001, she was exactly the type of person drug-trafficking cartels target. They are very well aware that poorly-educated, migrant workers and victims of domestic violence are easily manipulated.

There waiting for her was ‘Jerry’, a smooth Canadian national and business man. For a short 3 months after that ‘chance’ meeting, Merri felt she was living a dream. Far from abusing her, Jerry wanted to protect her. He wanted her to give up her migrant work in Taiwan. He invited her on vacation to Nepal. He even wanted to marry her. Merri thought she was in love.

Unfortunately, after 3 days in Nepal, Jerry was forced to leave ‘for business reasons.’ He insisted that Merri should stay, however, to enjoy the rest of the vacation as planned. Thoughtfully he even pointed out her suitcase was shabby and so arranged for her to get a good one.

A strong, high quality and rather heavy suitcase was duly delivered.

pic.twitter.com/VT1eta4MLx

— Ricky Gunawan (@erge17) July 26, 2016

When Merri arrived back in Jakarta, customs officers found 1.1 kg of heroin in the suitcase provided for her by the man Merri thought loved her. Jerry proved to be the most cruel of all the people Merri had encountered in her fraught life.

Justice?

My organization, LBH Masyarakat (Community Legal Aid Institute), recently took the case of Merri, shortly before she was taken to Nusakambangan – the execution island – where she was prepared for execution on July 29, 15 years after that fateful lunch in McDonalds. Jerry is still at large, presumably continuing to profit from young, vulnerable women like Merri. Had Merri’s bag not been routinely checked as she left Jakarta airport, Jerry would have recovered more than half a billion rupiah worth of heroin.

Merri would never have even known how she had enriched him.

Merri was slated to be executed last week. However, as the drama evolved, we found out that she was ‘reprieved’ at the last minute. Although she is now spared from execution, she may be executed in the future. Unless we stand firmly behind her, it is Merri that stands to die.

Is this justice? Is this even an effective way to tackle drug crime?

Indonesia still claims that by killing drug mules, it will stop this terrible crime. Is there any evidence of this? Definitely not, judging from past experience. Unsurprisingly, the number of prisoners incarcerated for drug-related crimes kept increasing after two rounds of executions in 2015.

In part, this is because many of those killed are not even aware they are committing a crime. This is not only because it can be easy for the unscrupulous to deceive; to blackmail; or to exploit the desperate. In some cases, we are even killing the innocent.

Racist court

I also represented Humphrey Jefferson Ejike who was executed on 29 July 2016 together with three other people.

Humphrey was a devout religious Nigerian who had set up a restaurant in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. On August 2, 2003, police officers came to search his restaurant because they had information that there were drugs inside his restaurant. He then voluntarily returned from a church in Bekasi (which is about 2 hours by car from Jakarta) to be present during the search.

After the search, the police found 1.7 kg of heroin inside a bedroom in the restaurant – a bedroom Humphrey had never used because he had an apartment in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. He was then arrested and spent five months without access to adequate legal representation. This is in breach of both international conventions and Indonesia’s own criminal procedural code.

In that time he claims to have been beaten and threatened with shooting unless he ‘confessed’. No investigation was made into Humphrey’s allegations, despite the decision to sentence him to death on such flimsy evidence.

Humphrey may have been targeted simply because of his nationality. The trial judgment notes that ‘black skinned people from Nigeria’ are under police surveillance because they are suspected of drug trafficking in Indonesia.

In short, Humphrey was executed because he was convicted by a racist court for drug offenses on the basis of a ‘confession’ made under completely unacceptable circumstances. This is a shameful chapter for Indonesia’s human rights agenda.

Take a stand

Like a number of other ASEAN countries, Indonesia is amongst the minority of countries that still applies the death penalty. Of the 58 (out of 198) countries in the world that have not abolished the death penalty, just 25 carried out executions in 2015. Of those exceptions, four of them were ASEAN countries.

It is not only by practicing capital punishment that these countries are in violation of the international obligations, but also in the way they apply it – for it is primarily applied for drug-related offenses.

Yet, in accordance with Art 6 of the the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Indonesia is a signatory, the death penalty should only be applicable in the case of the most serious crime, and drug offenses do not meet this threshold.

It is time to take a stand against this misguided, inept and cruel attempt to address the drug problem. And for this reason I encourage more people to join forces with organizations such as the recently established Coalition against the Death Penalty in ASEAN (CADPA) – a group of 55 organizations from ASEAN countries.

It is time for us to stand up and say that the death penalty is not justice.

For Women Swept Up in the Drug Trade, Legal Help That Starts Early

This piece was written by Muhammad Afif & Yosua Octavian and was published in Open Society Foundations\’ website on 22 June 2016.

 

Rani Andriani was just 23 when she was sentenced to death for trafficking three-and-a-half kilograms of heroin. From a family of modest means in West Java, she had been a bright high school student and a dedicated daughter. Young, naïve, and under the financial stress that affects so many village families, she was lured by the false promises of a drug syndicate and became a drug mule.

After serving 15 years in prison for drug trafficking, Rani was executed in January 2015, along with five other drug offenders.

Poor and marginalized women like Rani are vulnerable to being sucked into the drug trade, usually as mules. Yet in its eagerness to address the drug problem, the Indonesian government ignores the conditions that trigger the involvement of everyday people in drug trafficking.

LBH Masyarakat (Community Legal Aid Institute), a Jakarta-based human rights organization, seeks to challenge this injustice by providing free legal services to people who use drugs and people on death row for drug offenses.

This year, LBH Masyarakat went to court to defend three young women like Rani. By stepping in early, we succeeded in convincing the court not to impose the death penalty. The stories of Tara, Evie, and Siena (not their real names) are the stories of many vulnerable women in Indonesia.

Tara was a widow from a poor economic background. Her entry into the drug trade was through Kenny, a foreigner who claimed to be a rich businessman. After a few meetings, they started dating and Kenny promised to marry her. Madly in love, Tara would have done anything to maintain their relationship—even carry a kilogram of methamphetamine. After she delivered the narcotics, she was arrested. Kenny was never charged, despite the information Tara gave them about his involvement in the deal.

Evie’s experience was similar. After a few months of dating Jacky, a man who also purported to be a wealthy businessman, Evie was asked to hire a woman who would be willing to pick up a package from a courier service. Evie recruited Siena, who needed the money, at a beauty salon. After the two women picked up Jacky’s package, they were arrested and charged with trafficking four-and-a-half kilograms of methamphetamine. As in Tara’s case, Jacky was neither found nor arrested, even though Evie and Siena told the police of his whereabouts.

Tara, Evie, and Siena share a common problem: they are poor and vulnerable to drug syndicates. In some cases, a person charged with trafficking may be genuinely unaware they were ever in possession of drugs. In other cases, they may be paid, or under pressure in a relationship with a significant power imbalance.

In defending Tara, Evie, and Siena, we summoned expert witnesses to provide critical extra information about the use of women as mules in the drug trade, shedding new light on these cases for the prosecutors and judges. In the case of Tara, LBH Masyarakat also argued that she was a cooperating witness—or “justice collaborator”—as confirmed by the Witness and Victims Protection Agency. These arguments were effective—none of the women were sentenced to death. But, given sentences that ranged from 12 to 14 years, all three of them still lost their youth.

For over a decade, we have been deeply involved in the movement to abolish the death penalty in Indonesia, and have provided legal assistance to people facing it. We also work globally to end the death penalty, including through the United Nations, where in April our government was booed, and where a consensus on ending capital punishment was not reached.

We know that in a broken and corrupt system where capital punishment is on the table, poor women like Tara, Evie, and Siena can be easily and unfairly sentenced to death. We are also aware that judges and prosecutors have very little knowledge about the vulnerability of female drug mules.

These cases taught us the importance of early access to justice for vulnerable people. We have witnessed so many cases in which drug offenders were sentenced to death because they did not have adequate legal assistance. There are cases in which defense lawyers take money from their clients and disappear, and cases in which lawyers are connected with the police—a clear conflict of interest. There are also cases in which defense lawyers are present and attentive throughout the process, but do not have the necessary expertise in criminal defense, the death penalty, or drug offenses.

We call on the Indonesian government to support law enforcement agencies and actors in the justice system to understand the conditions that result in women acting as drug mules. The Indonesian government must address the roots of our drug problem, not just its symptoms.

Prison Infernos: Fire Defeated Drug Policy

This piece was written by Yohan Misero and was published in The Jakarta Post on 6 April 2016.

 

The riot at Malabero Prison in Bengkulu last week was not just about a burning prison. Rather, it symbolized a defeated public policy. It was a sign that accentuates the failed drug war stubbornly waged by Indonesia.

Similar riots have occurred in the prisons of Tanjung Gusta, Medan, in 2013 and in Kerobokan, Denpasar, in 2012.

One fundamental issue is overcrowding. The Law and Human Rights Ministry, since a few years ago, had planned to build more prisons, but as long as Indonesia is driven by the politics of over-criminalization, prisons will always be overcrowded.

Thus, inmates are more prone to tuberculosis and human immune deficiency virus (HIV) and security problems abound. It also breeds corruption because inmates bribe wardens for better facilities.

In the past years, Indonesia has been obsessed with criminalizing certain acts and sending offenders to prison. This must be changed and to change it, one must understand that such a problem is intertwined with Indonesia’s war on drugs.

In prison, drug offenders make up a large proportion of the population. In some prisons, drug offenders are more than half of the population. The 2009 Narcotics Law, which criminalizes drug use and drug possession, fueled this mass incarceration since thousands of drug users were imprisoned.

The criminalization of drug use is a threat to public health. People who use drugs are discouraged to access treatment if they are criminalized.

This further forces them to a hidden population. As a result, is difficult drug treatment and that creates risk.

In 2010, the Supreme Court endeavored to “decriminalize” drug use, by issuing a circular recommending judges impose rehabilitation sentences on drug users, instead of imprisonment.

If a drug user meets the prescribed criteria, the judges are supposed to send him or her to a treatment facility.

In 2014, several state institutions issued a joint regulation establishing the integrated assessment team. This team was tasked with assessing whether someone is a drug user. These measures, however, are not effective because the law still criminalizes drug use.

Despite Indonesia’s attempts to address its complicated drug problems and overcrowded prisons, such efforts have little positive results. Indonesia should consider an alternative: drug use and drug possession involving small quantities must be decriminalized.

This alternative should be seen from a pragmatic paradigm and an evidence-based approach.

By decriminalizing drug use, drug users will no longer be imprisoned and they will be more eager to access treatment. This would help solve the drug problem and the overcrowding prisons, as demonstrated in countries such as Portugal and the Czech Republic.

But is Indonesia willing to consider this alternative?

After the Malabero riot, the Law and Human Rights Ministry requested the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) take drug inmates into the BNN’s rehabilitation centers.

This request echoes the decriminalization message and it shows that there is an opportunity to honestly debate this notion within the government. However, the BNN rejected the request.

After taking office in October 2014, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo declared, quoting Richard Nixon, a “war on drugs”.

Indonesia’s recent standing on the Commission on Narcotic Drugs session in Vienna showcases that Indonesia is still in favor of punitive drug laws and continues to implement compulsory treatment — leaving no room for alternatives.

It seems unlikely that Indonesia will shift its position at the UN General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem, which will take place next month.

While Canada, Colombia, Guatamela and Mexico call for drug policy reform that will allow decriminalization of drug use, Indonesia is still implementing the same failed method while hoping for a different result.

Hence, the change that we desperately hope to see will not happen in the near future. We will continue to see a 19-year-old boy risk losing four to 12 years of his life for only possessing small marijuana joint.

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