Students criticize rights commission

Students criticize rights commission

SEMARANG: Some 100 students and artists from Semarang, Solo
and Yogyakarta observed International Human Rights Day yesterday
at the campus of the University of Diponegoro, criticizing the
National Commission for Human Rights.

They lashed out at the commission for failing to carry out its
duty as a human rights watchdog in the country.

What the commission has done is merely "lip service" to please
the government and business people, they said.

The protesters urged the commission and human rights activists
to work harder to improve the human rights condition nationwide.

Raising concerns over rampant human rights abuses by the
government, they asked the authorities to stop the violations.

The protesters unfurled posters and banners saying "Human
Rights is Dead", "Democracy is Dead", "Stop Abusing Human
Rights", and "Don't Trample on Human Rights". (har/sim)