Law enforcement measures inevitably involve a contradiction: on the one hand they aim to create order by imposing certain restrictions on freedoms and liberties, while on the other hand they must honor liberties and freedoms of every individual that they limit. Humans inherently are endowed with rights, and when these …

Here are links to several articles which covered the works of LBH Masyarakat (Community Legal Aid Institute): The Telegraph, 4 October 2010, “Indonesian minister jokes about Aids on Twitter” Southeast Asia Globe, 3 February 2015, “A view to kill” R7, 24 April 2015, “Indonésia: Defesa de brasileiro tenta novo recurso …

Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem will be held in New York on 19-21 April 2016. Then, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) develops a system for civil society to contribute by sending books, research reports, movies, letters, etc. as references for …

This piece was written by Claudia Stoicescu and Ricky Gunawan and was published in Al Jazeera America on 1 February 2016.   The use of society’s ultimate sanction, the death penalty, has been declining around the world for decades. In 1977, only 16 countries had abolished the death penalty; by …

This piece was authored by Asmin Fransiska, was co-authored by Ricky Gunawan, and was published in The Conversation on 16 Februari 2015.    In Indonesia, the fate of death row convicts lies largely in the hands of the country’s president, who can decide to spare their lives after examining their …

This piece was written by Ricky Gunawan and Ajeng Larasati and was published in Open Society Foundation on 23 January 2015.   Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was elected in July 2014. Hailed as a man of the people, his campaign was built on a platform of human rights. He …

This piece was written by Ricky Gunawan and was published in The Jakarta Post  on 10 December 2014.     The Attorney Generals Office (AGO) has announced its plan to execute five people by the end of 2014: mostly drug traffickers. Indonesia is among the few countries with the harshest …

This piece was written by Ajeng Larasati and Gloria Lai and was published in Talking Drugs on 21 December 2012.   When the head of Indonesia’s narcotics control agency (BNN), Mr. Gories Mere, said that his country’s drug policies were better than those of Portugal because they required all people …

This piece was written by Ricky Gunawan and was published in Open Society Foundation on 26 November 2012.   The numbers are shocking. At least 540 people executed for drugs in Iran in 2011. At least 16 beheaded for drug-related offenses in Saudi Arabia in the first six months of …

This piece was written by Ricky Gunawan and was published in The Jakarta Post on 10 May 2012.     President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to apologize on behalf of the state to victims of past human rights abuses and their families. One thing is certain, however. The President …