Setara Institute: Indonesia's 2023 Human Rights Index Declines

Indonesia's performance in protecting and upholding human rights (HAM) declined in 2023.

This is evident in the Setara Institute's report titled *Indeks Hak Asasi Manusia 2023, Stagnasi HAM Menjelang Satu Dekade Jokowi* (December 2023).

The Setara Institute compiled the Human Rights Index based on Law No. 12 of 2005 (Ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and Law No. 11 of 2005 (Ratification of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights).

The Setara Institute then assessed the government's performance in implementing the mandates of these laws/covenants based on reports from state institutions, civil society organizations, research institutions, and media references.

The detailed variables assessed are as follows:

1. Civil and Political Rights:

* Right to life
* Freedom of religion and belief
* Right to justice
* Right to security
* Right to participate in government
* Freedom of expression and opinion

2. Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights:

* Right to health
* Right to education
* Right to work
* Right to land
* Right to culture

The assessment is formulated with a score on a scale of 1-7. A score of 1 represents the worst protection, respect, and fulfillment of human rights, while a score of 7 represents the best.

Using this method, in 2023 Indonesia received a Human Rights Index score of 3.2, down from 3.3 the previous year.

According to the Setara Institute, this score decrease was partly influenced by the increase in cases of violations of freedom of religion.

The Setara Institute recorded 155 cases of violations of freedom of religion in Indonesia from January to June 2023, compared to only 90 similar cases in the same period of 2022.

Examples of cases that occurred this year include the rejection of the establishment of houses of worship and the imposition of religious attributes in educational settings.

Indonesia's 2023 Human Rights Index score also decreased due to the conflict in Papua, the formation of the Job Creation Perppu (Government Regulation in Lieu of Law) which was deemed to ignore public participation, ongoing violence against journalists, and criminalization based on the Electronic Information and Transaction Law (ITE).

The Setara Institute also found that throughout 2023, there was suppression of public aspirations behind the execution of National Strategic Projects (PSN), the dissolution of public discussions, and restrictions on academic freedom.