Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo should act to promote and protect the rights of everyone in Indonesia, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the president. Critical issues to address include the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, discriminatory provisions of the new criminal code, and policies including deforestation that is displacing Indigenous peoples.
The administration should build on President Prabowo's first 100 days in office, completed on January 28, 2025, in which he transferred several foreign death-row inmates to their home countries, indicated a commitment to uphold human rights in West Papua, and spoke out on behalf of the rights of religious minorities.
"The Prabowo administration, which like all new governments that inherit the human rights challenges of its predecessor, should act quickly to reverse problematic policies and adopt reforms," said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Indonesian government has much to do to protect the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, women, Indigenous communities, and those living with disabilities, and should hold to account security forces responsible for serious violations in West Papua."
The Prabowo administration should end the use of discriminatory laws and regulations, including the 1965 blasphemy law and the 2006 house of worship decree, Human Rights Watch said. Indonesian government officials and security forces have long facilitated the harassment and intimidation of religious minorities through biased policies, or the blasphemy law. Officials in Muslim-majority provinces have made blatantly discriminatory statements, refused permits to build minority houses of worship, and pressured congregations to relocate.
The Prabowo administration should reverse provisions that seriously violate international human rights law and standards in the 2022 revised criminal code before it comes into force in January 2026. Articles in the new code violate the rights of women, religious minorities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, and undermine rights to freedom of speech and association. The code provides for criminal penalties for sexual intercourse outside of marriage, putting millions of Indonesian unmarried heterosexual couples at risk. It also discriminates against LGBT people by making all same-sex sexual behavior a crime.
The Prabowo administration should take action to eliminate the dozens of mandatory hijab regulations in the country, which discriminate against girls and women. Existing regulations impose sanctions ranging from verbal warnings to expulsion from school or jobs to jail terms of up to three months.
Violence and harassment in the world of work, particularly psychological violence and sexual harassment of women who are domestic workers, is common in Indonesia. Despite years of advocacy by activists, trade unions, civil society groups, and human rights organizations, previous Indonesian governments have not acted to bring needed reforms to protect domestic workers. The Prabowo administration should seek to enact the long delayed Domestic Workers' Protection Bill, which contains significant improvements for supporting domestic workers' rights, including protection from violence and exploitation.
Although in 1977 the Indonesian government banned shackling people with perceived mental health conditions, families and traditional and religious healers have continued the practice. In 2014, the Indonesian parliament passed the Mental Health Act to ensure that the government provides adequate access to mental health services from the local level to the national level. The Prabowo administration should ensure the law's enforcement, including by providing more mental health hospitals and clinics.
Indonesia's oil palm industry has forcibly displaced Indigenous peoples in Sumatra, Kalimantan, West Papua and others, and remains one of the largest drivers of deforestation in Indonesia. The Prabowo government should ensure that companies comply with laws and international human rights standards that protect communities' land rights, Human Rights Watch said.
The government should also hold to account government security forces responsible for severe human rights violations during counterinsurgency operations in the six West Papua provinces, and lift restrictions on international rights monitors and foreign journalists from visiting the region. A proposal to grant amnesty to Papuans involved in pro-independence movements would promote the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The government should also decriminalize using the Morning Star symbols in West Papua.
The Prabowo administration should also take the lead in efforts to advance human rights globally, including protecting civilians in armed conflicts and promoting international justice.
"Indonesia has an important role in global affairs, and the Prabowo government should take steps to protect human rights abroad as well as at home," Ganguly said. "The Prabowo administration has announced some good policies in its first 100 days, and we look forward to further efforts to uphold the human rights of everyone in Indonesia."
