Photo: The Indonesian National Armed Forces has been accused of committing human rights abuses in Papua. Photo by Gitoyo aryo – Own work.
This year, Peace Brigades International-Canada is researching the export of military goods/strategic goods and technology from Canada and highlighting their potential impact on the safety and security of human rights defenders in five countries: Mexico, the Philippines, Indonesia, Palestine and the United States.
Last year, The Maple highlighted: “Canada is a signatory of the Arms Trade Treaty, which is enshrined in the Export and Import Permits Act. Under this law, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs must not approve export permits for military goods if there is a substantial risk the goods could be used to facilitate serious human rights abuses or violations of international law.”
INDONESIA
State violence against human rights defenders
Global Witness has documented that 25 land and environmental defenders have been killed in Indonesia between 2012 and 2024. At least 11 of those defenders were killed by State actors (Armed Forces, Police, Government officials).
According to this Global Witness database, 2 of these land and environmental defenders were killed by the Armed Forces; 5 were killed by the Police; 2 were killed by Private security guards, Police; 1 was killed by Corporations, Police; 1 was killed by Organized crime / mafias, Government officials; 2 were killed by Private security guards; 5 were killed by Corporations; 2 were killed by Organised crime / mafias, Corporations; 1 was killed by Hitmen; 1 by Others; and 3 by Unknown actors.
Front Line Defenders has also documented the killing of 9 human rights defenders in Indonesia since 2019.
Additionally, in their 2024/25 Report on Indonesia, Amnesty International noted: “In Papua, unlawful killings of civilians continued with impunity within the context of the conflict between the Indonesian military and armed separatist groups. In May, in its concluding observations, the UN Human Rights Committee raised concerns about extrajudicial killings of Indigenous Papuans.”
And in May 2025, Human Rights Watch highlighted: “The security forces’ military operations in the densely forested Central Highlands areas [of West Papua] have allegedly killed and injured dozens of civilians with drone strikes and the indiscriminate use of explosive munitions, and displaced thousands of Indigenous Papuans.”
Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, adds: “The Indonesian military has a long history of abuses in West Papua that poses a particular risk to the Indigenous communities.”
“Irresponsible Arms Transfers”: Amnesty International
The Amnesty International The State of the World’s Human Rights (April 2025) report notes: “Canada continued to export arms and military equipment to countries despite lack of accountability for past violations and substantial risks that they could be used in serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.”
According to Government of Canada figures, during the period of 2012 to 2024 when 25 land and environmental defenders were killed in Indonesia, Canada exported almost $45 billion of so-called “military goods and technology” to that country.
History of Canadian arms exports to Indonesia
In February 2018, David Webster, an Associate professor of Human Rights Studies at King’s University College at Western University, wrote:
“Indonesia notoriously invaded the former Portuguese colony of East Timor in 1975, with more than 100,000 Timorese perishing under the subsequent military occupation. From 1975 to 1991 [under Prime Ministers Pierre Trudeau, Joe Clark, John Turner, and Brian Mulroney] Canada nonetheless was willing to sell arms to Indonesia.
In 1991, a massacre in East Timor prompted Barbara McDougall, foreign minister in Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government, to impose an arms embargo. There was no suggestion that Canadian-made arms had been used in the massacre, but McDougall was taking no chances.
Arms sales to Indonesia resumed as Jean Chrétien’s government [that came into office in November 1993] embraced Indonesia, but there was increasing dissent within the Department of Foreign Affairs about it.
In September 1999, after extensive public pressure, foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy imposed an arms embargo as pro-Indonesia militia groups killed, forcibly relocated and terrorized the Timorese population. No evidence was required that Canadian-supplied weapons were being used against civilians. The government simply acted.”
Nevertheless, on August 30, 2020, The Globe and Mail reported: “A Canadian manufacturer was preparing to ship military equipment to Indonesia a year ago even as brutal attacks by Indonesian troops drove thousands in occupied East Timor from their homes, an internal Foreign Affairs department memorandum indicates. The memo suggests Ottawa was reluctant to cancel an export permit for the shipment because officials feared the company would sue the federal government over its handling of military sales.”
“Military Cooperation” in 2025
Most recently, in August 2025, the Department of National Defence issued a media release that stated: “The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan signed a Military Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI), the Indonesian National Armed Forces.”
General Carignan is quoted in that media release saying: “Formalizing our military cooperation with a key Indo-Pacific partner like Indonesia is vital to strengthening Canada’s ability to promote peace and stability in the region. By enhancing our interoperability with the Tentara Nasional Indonesia, we ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces remain ready to uphold international law and defend Canadian sovereignty.”
The CANSEC arms show
Peace Brigades International-Canada will be observing the Shut Down CANSEC mobilization against the CANSEC arms show this coming Wednesday May 27, 2026, starting at 8 am at the EY Centre in Ottawa.
While the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), the organizer of the CANSEC arms show, does not make public the names of the 60+ international delegations that attend CANSEC, it is likely that Indonesia sends a delegation to CANSEC.
We continue to follow this.
Further reading
PBI-Canada to research links between the export of Canadian “military goods” and state violence against human rights defenders (January 13, 2026)
Thoughts on the Global Affairs Canada “Voices at Risk” guidelines and the Export and Import Permits Act on “military goods” (March 2, 2025).
