Blog

February, 2016

• 29 February

  Mass Executions of Drug Offenders Won’t Help Indonesia

  

  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 …
• 29 February

  Death Penalty Does Not Deter Drug Traffickers

  

  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 …
• 29 February

  Are Indonesia’s Government and Civil Society Actors Debating Drug Policy in Parallel Universes?

  

  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 …
• 29 February

  Judicial Killing in the War on Drugs—The Death Penalty for Drug Offenses

  

  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 …
• 29 February

  Indonesia: Lost in Transition?

  

  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 …
• 29 February

  Indonesian Odyssey: A Drug User’s Quest for Treatment

  

  This piece was written by Ricky Gunawan and was published in Asia Catalyst on 12 February 2010.   The story of Rose – the first drug user sentenced by Indonesian courts to rehabilitation instead of prison – continued this month, with some dramatic twists and turns that highlight obstacles to implementing Indonesia’s newly …
• 29 February

  Addicted to Corruption in Indonesia

  

  This piece was written by Ricky Gunawan and was published in Asia Catalyst on 3 December 2009.   Rose (not her real name) has been using drugs for more than ten years. During that time, she had been arrested a number of times, and her life has been harrowing. Not …
• 29 February

  War on Drugs in RI: Demonizing The Most Vulnerable

  

  This piece was written by Martin Lundqvist and Ricky Gunawan and was published in The Jakarta Post on 12 December 2008.   When arriving at the international terminal of Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta, the first tangible impression is the huge neon sign reading “Welcome to Indonesia — Death Penalty for Drug …
• 29 February

  Laws Against Torture Needed

  

  This piece was written by Ricky Gunawan and was published in The Jakarta Post on 22 November 2008.   On Jan. 22, 2007, Hartoyo was at home with his partner, Bobby (not his real name), when two men forcibly entered his house and proceeded to vandalize his property before assaulting …
• 29 February

  No Anti-Torture Laws 10 Years On

  

  This piece was written by Ricky Gunawan and was published in The Jakarta Post on 10 October 2008.   On Sept. 28, 1998, Indonesia ratified Convention against Torture. It was expected that this ratification would be a milestone in the struggle against torture. It was meant to impede rampant and …