Topic: Rights of Accused
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Carson Henley
School: Fishers High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Indonesia position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
The Republic of Indonesia was a founding member of the Human Rights Council, and as such has been a leader of a movement for human rights in Southeast Asia. Indonesia is working to foster improvement in human rights in the region as a whole. Indonesia is of the belief that the right to a fair trial before sentencing is a universal human right that should be granted to any person, regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation in all countries.
The legal system of Indonesia has changed in the past century with the powers that have been in control of the nation. Since its independence, Indonesia has used a traditional legal system wherein the individual is arrested, detained, tried, and either sentenced or released depending on the result of the trial.
Indonesia is currently improving its legal system. It is working towards raising the age of criminal responsibility from eight years of age to twelve years of age.
Indonesia finds the conditions for Indonesian prisoners to be sufficient. Indonesia supports the use of corporal punishments in its prisons. This practice is a low cost way to ensure that guards maintain control of prisoners.
The Republic of Indonesia is of the belief that all persons accused have a right to a fair trial. Indonesia is in support of efforts to ensure that this right is universal, regardless of an individual’s citizenship or country of residence.
The founding of a program to provide funding to third-world nations for the necessary professionals and proceedings for a fair trial should be considered. Such a program could greatly improve the legal systems in these countries, and ensure that innocent persons accused of crimes do not have to serve sentences for crimes that they did not commit.
Measures should also be taken to eliminate corruption in more established legal systems, including but not limited to those of first-world countries. Indonesia sees corruption in any situation as problematic, but feels that in situations such as these where corruption jeopardizes the future of a potentially innocent individual, immediate action must be taken to combat such corruption. Indonesia would like to see initiatives and potential solutions proposed that would control corruption in the legal system.
Indonesia urges the Human Rights Council to make the right to a trial a priority, and would likely be willing to sign a resolution that encouraged countries to take action.
Sources Cited
Committee Against Torture. "Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment." Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. United Nations, 2 July 2008. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.
"Indonesia." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Indonesia. United Nations. General Assembly. A/69/375. N.p.: n.p., United Nations. United Nations, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.
