Pigai Clarifies on Determination of Human Rights Activist Status by Assessment Team

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai has clarified the plan for the status of human rights activists to be determined by a government-formed assessment team. Pigai noted a misperception in society regarding his statement about the assessment team determining human rights activist status. “The circulating title is misleading and could create a wrong perception. I am actually ensuring maximum protection for human rights defenders so they cannot be prosecuted,” Pigai said in a written statement on Thursday (30/4/2026). Pigai stated that protection is only given to those defending public interests, especially vulnerable groups, without personal or commercial interests. “If they defend the little people, the weak who are fighting for justice, then they happen to be human rights defenders, and are designated as such,” he said. “The Ministry of Human Rights will appoint people including national activist figures, professionals, top scientists, like Mr Makarim Wibisono, former Chair of the UN Human Rights Commission. People of their calibre are not subjective. They are done. The assessment team will certainly be objective with criteria,” Pigai said in an exclusive interview with ANTARA in Jakarta on Wednesday (29/4/2026). The assessment team consists of figures with competence in human rights. “We will select from various elements. There will be from civil society communities, from the government namely the Ministry of Human Rights, from Komnas HAM itself, Komnas Anak, Komnas Perempuan, Komnas Disabilitas. We will also ask law enforcement officials to be members of the assessment team, so they can see that this is genuine,” Pigai said. The status of human rights activist that someone holds will determine that the person is entitled to legal protection. According to Pigai, protection is only given to parties defending public interests, especially vulnerable groups, without personal or commercial interests. “If they defend those who are unjust, the little people, the weak who want to fight for justice, then they happen to be human rights activists, and are designated as such,” he said. Pigai explained that the assessment team will select people who deserve the status of human rights activist or not. The human rights activist status will not be given to someone if that person works on the basis of payment from a certain party. “So, it could be that a human rights activist, at a certain time the assessment team finds that they are working, even though their status is as a human rights activist, when they are working for payment, that cannot be a human rights activist,” Pigai said.