Blog

February, 2019

• 11 February

  A Day at Tangerang Youth Prison

  

  We approached the gates of the prison at 11am on a Monday morning. Adi’s (not his real name) family greeted us with handshakes and solemn nods. We, representatives from LBH Masyarakat and Adi’s family, were informed by LBH Masyarakat’s lawyers that we would have to wait another two hours until …

June, 2018

• 14 June

  Between Go and Went

  

  On Wednesdays I teach English in two informal classes. It seems for white foreigners in Indonesia, requests to teach English are almost as common as requests for selfies. One of these classes is held at the methadone clinic at Puskesmas (Community Health Centre) Gambir, Central Jakarta, attended by a group …

March, 2018

• 4 March

  Volunteer’s Story: Isobel Blomfield

  

  Isobel Blomfield, a student from University of New South Wales, volunteered at LBH Masyarakat (Community Legal Aid Institute) from January to February 2018. She volunteered here by joining ACICIS program. She helps us create a great advocacy video for the criminal law revision – and many more. She writes her experience …
• 3 March

  Rodrigo Gularte: A Dream at the End of a Rifle

  

  As the government incessantly declares war on drugs, choosing to proceed with the executions of foreign prisoners amidst protests from the leaders of those inmates’ countries, the BNN (National Narcotics Agency) and police succeeded in breaking an illegal drug ring controlled from inside prison – by a death row inmate. …

February, 2018

• 11 February

  The Forgotten Vulnerability of Female Drug Couriers

  

  Today’s date, March 8, marks International Women’s Day. The concept on International Women’s Day was first proposed in 1910 at the International Conference of Women Workers by Clara Zetkin, the leader of the Women’s Office of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.[1] Today, International Women’s Day represents a global celebration and …

September, 2016

• 15 September

  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 …
• 15 September

  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 …
• 15 September

  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 …

February, 2016

• 29 February

  No One Should Be Executed for Drug Offenses

  

  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 …
• 29 February

  Jokowi Should Halt Executions Under Indonesia’s Corrupt Judicial System

  

  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 …