Canada exported nearly $45 billion in military goods and technology to Indonesia between 2012 and 2024, a period marked by documented violence against land and environmental defenders and ongoing concerns about human rights abuses in Papua, according to research from Peace Brigades International-Canada and reports from Global Witness, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch.
State Violence and Human Rights Concerns in Indonesia
Global Witness has documented 25 killings of land and environmental defenders in Indonesia between 2012 and 2024, with at least 11 of those deaths attributed to state actors – members of the Armed Forces, Police, or Government officials. According to a Global Witness database, the Armed Forces were responsible for 2 deaths, the Police for 5, and various combinations of private security, corporations, organized crime, and government officials were linked to the remaining deaths.
Front Line Defenders has also documented the killing of 9 human rights defenders in Indonesia since 2019. Amnesty International’s 2024/25 report on Indonesia notes continued unlawful killings of civilians in Papua, with impunity, within the context of conflict between the Indonesian military and armed separatist groups. The UN Human Rights Committee raised concerns in May about extrajudicial killings of Indigenous Papuans.
Human Rights Watch recently highlighted that security force military operations in the Central Highlands of West Papua have allegedly killed and injured dozens of civilians, displacing thousands of Indigenous Papuans. Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, stated that the Indonesian military has a “long history of abuses in West Papua that poses a particular risk to the Indigenous communities.”
Canadian Arms Exports to Indonesia
Amnesty International’s The State of the World’s Human Rights (April 2025) report notes that Canada continued to export arms and military equipment to countries despite a lack of accountability for past violations and substantial risks of human rights abuses. Government of Canada figures show almost $45 billion in “military goods and technology” were exported to Indonesia during the period of documented defender killings.
Historically, Canada has a complex relationship with arms exports to Indonesia. Arms sales continued even during Indonesia’s 1975 invasion of East Timor, under multiple Prime Ministers. A 1991 massacre in East Timor prompted a brief arms embargo under Brian Mulroney, but sales resumed under Jean Chrétien. Another embargo was imposed in 1999 following public pressure and widespread violence in East Timor.
In 2020, a memo within the Department of Foreign Affairs indicated reluctance to cancel an export permit to Indonesia due to fears of a lawsuit from the Canadian manufacturer.
Recent Military Cooperation
In August 2025, the Department of National Defence announced a Military Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – TNI). Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, stated that formalizing military cooperation with Indonesia is “vital to strengthening Canada’s ability to promote peace and stability in the region” and will enhance interoperability.
Peace Brigades International-Canada will be observing the Shut Down CANSEC mobilization against the CANSEC arms show on May 27, 2026, in Ottawa. While the attendee list for CANSEC is not public, it is likely that Indonesia will send a delegation.
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