Local administrations are frequently the culprit, national government must act
Indonesia's national human rights commission has demanded that President Joko Widodo's administration be firm with local governments to help curb a rise of intolerance in the country, reported The Jakarta Post.
Imdadun Rahmat, chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, said that when it comes to intolerance towards religious minorities, local administrations across the country were often part of the problem.
A report by the commission says that the number of complaints concerning violations of religious freedom in the country has increased over the past three years.
The commission recorded 74 complaints in 2014 and in the following year 89 were recorded.
Local administrations were the chief culprits behind 18 of 34 violations reported in the first five months of this year, said the report.
The report highlighted complaints received from Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia and the Pentecostal Church in Indonesia.
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