Received 2,841 Human Rights Violation Cases Throughout 2020, Komnas HAM: Police Complained The Most

JAKARTA - Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Ahmad Taufan Damanik said there were 2,841 reports of alleged violations that entered his institution throughout 2020. This was conveyed when he released the annual report which was carried out online.

"The National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Indonesia received 2,841 cases. The party with the most complaints was the police," said Taufan in an activity held on Thursday, August 12.

Of the thousands of reports, there were 758 cases of alleged violations by the police, 455 cases from corporations, and 276 cases from local governments.

"While the rights that were most frequently complained about were related to the right to welfare as many as 1,025 cases and the right to justice 887 cases, the right to security in 179 cases," said Taufan.

Furthermore, he explained that there were changes in the method of submitting complaints and consultations. This, said Taufan, occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Taufan detailed the consultations through telephone and face-to-face methods in 2020 and then decreased compared to the previous year. In 2019, Komnas HAM received 347 consultations by telephone, down to 278 consultations in 2020. Face-to-face consultations in 2019 totaled 541 cases and also decreased to 206 cases only.

"Meanwhile, there has been a significant increase in the number of consultations for complaints via electronic mail. From the previous 128 in 2019, to 320 consultations via email in 2020," he explained.

In addition, he also said that consultations via short messaging applications such as WhatsApp had also increased. "Previously there were 580 consultations in 2019 to 876 consultations in 2020," said Taufan.

There are a number of cases that have been handled by Komnas HAM and the most prominent are the murder of Pastor Yeremiah Zanambani in Papua, the murder of six members of Laskar FPI in the Karawang area, and various agrarian conflicts due to the construction of infrastructure for national strategic projects.

"In these various events Komnas HAM has submitted recommendations to the President of the Republic of Indonesia and other relevant stakeholders," he concluded.