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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Human Rights Watch Criticizes Indonesian Military's Role in Tackling Street Crime

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Human Rights Watch criticized Indonesia's plan to deploy the military in civilian law enforcement to combat street crime.
  • HRW argued that deploying the military risks undermining legal protections and due process, urging the government to strengthen police capabilities instead.
  • The Indonesian Defense Ministry claimed military presence in regencies has reduced street crime by over 50 percent, proposing to establish more territorial development battalions.

Human Rights Watch has voiced strong criticism against Indonesia's proposal to involve the military in tackling street crime, arguing that such a move risks undermining legal protections and due process. Meenakshi Ganguly, Deputy Asia Director at HRW, emphasized that law enforcement in civilian settings should remain the sole responsibility of the police.

The Indonesian government has a responsibility to ensure public security. This includes the presumption of innocence, fair legal process, and the rule of law.

— Meenakshi GangulyDeputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, explaining the organization's stance on the Indonesian government's plan.

Ganguly pointed to international standards, including the UN's Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which advocate for prioritizing non-violent measures. She stated that the military should not be deployed for civilian law enforcement duties. Instead, the government should focus on bolstering police investigations and ensuring criminal suspects are prosecuted through legitimate legal channels.

The military should not be deployed to carry out civilian law enforcement duties.

— Meenakshi GangulyDeputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, arguing for police responsibility in civilian law enforcement.

The criticism comes as Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin champions the expansion of territorial development battalions, suggesting their presence in regencies has already led to significant security improvements. He claimed crime rates in areas with these battalions have dropped by over 50 percent. The government plans to establish 750 such battalions over the next five years to enhance national defense and territorial security across Indonesia's vast geography.

Previously, there were no forces stationed in regencies. What happened? Street crime became a significant problem.

— Sjafrie SjamsoeddinIndonesian Defense Minister, justifying the need for military presence in regencies to combat crime.

Despite the Defense Ministry's claims of reduced crime, rights groups continue to warn about the potential dangers of militarizing domestic security. They stress the importance of maintaining civilian law enforcement under police authority and adhering to international human rights standards, highlighting a clear tension between the government's security strategy and human rights concerns.

Street crime and other criminal activities in those areas have fallen by more than 50 percent.

— Sjafrie SjamsoeddinIndonesian Defense Minister, citing statistics on crime reduction in areas with military battalions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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