Indonesia
Urgent appeal
1157. On 26 March 2010, the Special Rapporteur, together with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, sent an urgent appeal to the Government regarding the situation of participants to an Asian regional meeting of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).
1158. According to the information received, on 26 March 2010, more than 150 human rights defenders representing 100 organizations from 16 Asian countries gathered in Surabaya to participate in a three-day Asian regional meeting of the ILGA.
1159. In response to protests by conservative Muslim groups and the Indonesian Ulema Council, the police reportedly ordered the cancellation of the conference, and national and international participants were ordered to leave the conference hotel.
1160. At the time of drafting the present appeal, a group of militant fundamentalists was inside the hotel, attempting to identify conference participants, by conducting a room-by- room search.
1161. According to various reports, the police were not taking any measure to ensure the safety of the participants.
1162. Grave concern was expressed for the physical and psychological integrity of the participants of the ILGA meeting. We remind the Government of Indonesia of its responsibility under international human rights law to ensure the safety of the participants.
Observations
1163. The Special Rapporteur regrets that at the time of the finalization of this report, the Government had not transmitted a reply to her communication dated 26 March 2010. She considers response to her communications an important part of cooperation by Governments with her mandate.
1164. The Special Rapporteur reiterates her concern regarding the allegations in this communication, particularly taking in to account the number of human rights defenders present at the LGBT gathering. Moreover, she is also concerned about reports that police did not take measures to ensure that those present were offered adequate protection. As such, she urges the Government to provide information about the allegations at its earliest convenience.
Link to full text of the report: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/defenders/docs/A.HRC.16.44.Add.1_EFSonly.pdf