A UK-based rights group has accused the British government of turning a blind eye and abetting Indonesia’s use of counterterrorism laws to restrict civil liberties.
“The UK government is actively collaborating with Indonesia on so-called counter-extremism even as Indonesia uses that excuse to shut down minority religions and target critics,” said Jacob Smith, UK accountability team leader at Rights and Security International (RSI).
In a new report released on Monday, RSI argued that the UK government was playing a behind-the-scenes role in Indonesia’s anti-extremism policy formulation and funding the training of its anti-terrorism personnel.
The NGO said this was done through two official channels: the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) and one of its subdivisions, the International Prevent Programme (IPP).
According to the UK government’s statistics, it spent £352 million (US$435.9 million) on CSSF worldwide in 2023, up from the £307 million in 2022. The programme’s stated aim is tackling “conflict, stability and security challenges overseas which threaten UK national security”. It supports more than 90 programmes worldwide through a combination of development aid and security efforts.
The IPP is an extension of the United Kingdom’s own Prevent programme, first introduced in 2003, and described as a government-led, multi-agency initiative that “aims to stop individuals becoming terrorists”.
Rights advocates have accused it of unfairly targeting Muslim communities and encouraging professionals, such as teachers and National Health Service employees, to report suspected radical behaviour, creating an atmosphere of paranoia and bias.
“The most recent available figures show the UK spends up to £7 million a year on its IPP, though the true figure could be much higher,” Smith said.
In July 2023, RSI requested data on counter-extremism cooperation with Indonesia from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
“But the FCDO refused to grant our request, citing national security concerns and a desire to protect international relations,” Smith said.
The British embassy in Jakarta did not respond to a query from This Week In Asia on the same subject.
RSI said Britain had deliberately “exported” Prevent to Indonesia as part of its post-Brexit geopolitical outreach.
“Post-Brexit, the UK sees Indonesia as a key strategic ally for its political and economic engagement in Southeast Asia,” Smith said.
This, he claimed, led to the creation of the National Action Scheme for the Prevention and Mitigation of Violence-Based Extremism and Terrorism (RAN PE), signed into law by President Joko Widodo in 2021.
The RSI report detailed allegations from Indonesian human rights groups who argued that counter-extremism programmes had been “misused to marginalise religious minorities and suppress peaceful calls for Papuan independence by accusing them of supporting terrorist groups”.
The report highlighted the 2018 launch by Indonesia’s Attorney General Office of Smart Pakem, a downloadable app through which citizens can report “suspicious activities”. The app also has a list of “religious faiths which deviate from the six officially recognised religions”.
“The UK must be aware of the religious oppression and allegations of deadly violence, as well as ‘counter-extremism’ apps that tell people to spy on their neighbours – yet, it remains an enthusiastic partner,” the report said.
Andreas Harsono, a researcher for Human Rights Watch (HRW), acknowledged the potential human rights violations programmes such as Smart Pakem could cause, but said religious minorities in Indonesia had bigger problems than a snitching app.
“Indonesia’s insistence on keeping our blasphemy law, almost always used against religious minorities, poses a greater threat to their freedom,” he said, referring to a law that criminalises deviations from the central tenets of the country’s six officially recognised religions – Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism – with penalties of up to five years in prison.
Greg Barton, a scholar specialising in modern Indonesia and terrorism, said there was insufficient evidence to assert that RAN PE was based on the UK’s Prevent programme. He argued that both Indonesia and Britain faced markedly different types of challenges in terms of terrorism and extremism, and that abuses under Indonesia’s counter-extremism programmes should be seen as localised incidents.
