MP: Protection of Human Rights Activists Must Not Depend on State Certification
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Mafirion, a member of Commission XIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), has emphasised that protection for human rights (HAM) activists must not depend on certification or designation by the state.
“If there is HAM certification, then only parties recognised administratively will receive protection, while other individuals who genuinely defend HAM might not obtain the same guarantees before the law. If this happens, there will be injustice in the concept of HAM protection,” Mafirion told Kompas.com on Thursday (30/4/2026).
The PKB politician warned that the certification mechanism proposed by the Ministry of HAM has the potential to create unequal legal protection.
“The state fundamentally has a primary obligation to protect all citizens in exercising their rights, including in defending HAM,” he explained.
This is because the policy has the potential to contradict the basic principle of civil liberties.
“No democratic country makes the status of a HAM activist the result of state selection. The state’s role should be to protect, not to determine who may be a HAM defender,” Mafirion stressed.
As such, Mafirion said, the status as a HAM activist is not something that can be determined through a government administrative mechanism.
“That approach risks shifting the meaning of HAM from a universal right to merely an administrative status dependent on state recognition,” Mafirion stated.
However, he assessed that the formation of an advisory team is not an appropriate solution.
In addition, Mafirion believes the policy has the potential to create conflicts of interest. This is because HAM activists are often in a critical position towards state policies.
“Therefore, every policy that has the potential to limit the space for civil society must be carefully reviewed to remain in line with the principles of democracy and respect for HAM,” Mafirion concluded.
It was previously reported that the Government will determine the validity of a person’s status as a human rights (HAM) activist.