[COMMENTARY] End Overcrowding in Indonesian Prisons

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By Ricky Gunawan

 

Up through 2009, Indonesia suffered a tremendous blow from the so-called
“judicial mafia”, the corrupt network that controls the criminal justice
system. Every sector of Indonesia’s legal system has been paralyzed by this
judicial mafia. It is made up of middlemen who, for a fee, can broker deals
between police, prosecutors and judges. In a late response to this dismal
situation, in late 2009 President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono established a task force to “eradicate the
judicial mafia in the first 100 days” of his administration.

 

Last week, the task force conducted a surprise visit to Pondok Bambu
Detention Facility, Jakarta. This visit revealed shocking – yet, to those in
the know, all too predictable — findings. Arthalyta Suryani, a high-class
criminal convicted of bribery, is imprisoned
in luxurious conditions. Her “cell” is an 8×8 meter room with a refrigerator,
flat TV with home theatre, air conditioner, and other facilities such as dining
tables, maids and a Blackberry.

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[REPORT] “I Don’t Have the Money to Pay for a Hospital, So I Give Birth at Home.”

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by Ami Evangelista Swanepoel

Earlier this week we returned to an area in Santa Lourdes called Purok Matahimik, which means “quiet place”. It is also known as “Pulang Lupa” or red earth because of the color of the soil, or simply known as “Dumpsite” because of the community’s proximity to the Puerto Princesa landfill. This community is a top runner for where we might begin our services as it is quite isolated and very poor, with high numbers of malnourished children.

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[RESOURCE] 10 Ways to Protect Against Hackers

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By Glenn D. Tiffert

Google’s recent revelation that its servers have been attacked by hackers, and that Chinese, US and European human rights activists have been affected, has drawn more attention to internet security. But in fact, any computer plugged into the internet may be probed by automated agents dozens-if not thousands-of times a day.  These agents check a long list of documented and undocumented vulnerabilities, looking for any that exist in your system.  The agents are indiscriminate. 

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[COMMENTARY] Is Two Times a Trend? The U.S. and South Korea Lift HIV Travel Restrictions

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By Ken Oh

  

Last Monday, the United Nations issued a statement applauding the United States and the Republic of Korea for lifting travel bans on people living with HIV/AIDS(PLWHA).  The US ban had been in effect for 22 years, and the South Korean ban had been similarly entrenched.  Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, hailed the parallel policy changes as “a victory for human rights on two sides of the globe”.  

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[UPDATE] What We’re Up To

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January 2010

 

Happy New Year!

Here’s the latest from our new Brooklyn office. Please help spread the word – we’re looking for graduate and undergraduate interns for spring and summer 2010. Details all the way down.

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