IPU to investigate human rights abuses<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Secretary-general of the Inter-Parliamentary
\nUnion (IPU) Pierre Cornillon is in town to gather information on
\nalleged violations of Indonesian legislators' basic rights.<\/p>\n
He met yesterday with several figures here, including members
\nof the National Commission on Human Rights and controversial
\npolitician Sri Bintang Pamungkas.<\/p>\n
Cornillon said he was assigned to look into reports received
\nand discussed by the IPU at its recent bi-annual conference in
\nBeijing.<\/p>\n
He said he focused his inquiries on violations of parliament
\nmembers' basic rights.<\/p>\n
"We act as a mediator between alleged sources of rights
\nviolations and specific governments where rights violations are
\nreported to have occurred," Cornillon said.<\/p>\n
A source who requested anonymity said Cornillon had earlier
\nmet with Attorney General Singgih and also hoped to meet with
\nMinister of Justice Oetojo Oesman.<\/p>\n
The source said Cornillon and commission members discussed
\nissues surrounding Sri Bintang Pamungkas, a House member who was
\ndismissed by his United Development Party and is currently
\nawaiting his appeal on a court decision that sentenced him to 34
\nmonths in jail for insulting President Soeharto.<\/p>\n
They also discussed the fate of former house member Sukatno,
\nwho is on death row. He was imprisoned for his involvement in the
\nIndonesian Communist Party's attempted coup in 1965. Sukatno was
\na parliament member under President Sukarno. The court sentenced
\nhim to death in 1971.<\/p>\n
Cornillon also met with Bintang yesterday afternoon at the
\nJakarta Legal Aid Institute office. Bintang was accompanied by
\nnoted lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution.<\/p>\n
"While there is still hope for his release, we will not stop
\ntrying until we get a satisfactory answer," Cornillo said,
\nreferring to the persistent stand of the IPU in raising the
\ncase.<\/p>\n
He said the IPU noted any violations of parliamentary members'
\nbasic rights, regardless of their ideological leanings.<\/p>\n
The IPU, according to Cornillon, handles two types of cases:
\nconfidential cases and open cases, which are announced to the
\npublic.<\/p>\n
Two-thirds of the total cases that IPU handles, according to
\nCornillo, are confidential.<\/p>\n
He refused to comment when asked if he had also discussed the
\ncase of House member Megawati Soekarnoputri, who has been in
\ntrouble ever since she was deposed by her rival in a government-
\nsanctioned congress in June.<\/p>\n
Megawati has been summoned by the police and the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office as a witness in a subversion case involving
\nBudiman Sudjatmiko, leader of the little-known leftist Democratic
\nPeople's Party. (14)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ipu-to-investigate-human-rights-abuses-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}