Komnas HAM reveals rights abuses under martial law<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) found human
\nrights and humanitarian law violations in its preliminary inquiry
\ninto the imposition of martial law in conflict-ridden Aceh.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the rights body's Ad Hoc team for Aceh M.M. Billah
\nsaid here on Tuesday that his team had found six types of
\nviolations committed by the martial law administration in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
The violations are rampant burning of school buildings,
\nsummary killings, arbitrary arrests, torture of unarmed
\ncivilians, sexual harassment and forced displacement.<\/p>\n
As martial law enters its fourth week, more than 160 rebels
\nhave been killed, more than 22,000 Acehnese have been forcibly
\ndisplaced and almost 500 school buildings have been burned down.<\/p>\n
The commission has yet to make any formal conclusion over the
\nresults of the preliminary inquiry, Billah said, adding that his
\nteam did not know who were behind the torching of the school
\nbuildings.<\/p>\n
Billah led the six-member team in a three-day preliminary
\ninquiry in Banda Aceh, Bireuen regency and Lhokseumawe which was
\ncompleted on Monday and said the rights body would send a fact-
\nfinding team to further investigate the rights abuses.<\/p>\n
Billah said that during the preliminary investigation, the
\nteam interviewed eyewitnesses and victims of violence in a bid to
\nconfirm earlier reports of alleged rights violations under
\nmartial law.<\/p>\n
\"According to a number of eyewitnesses, there has been
\nindication of rights and humanitarian law violations in the
\nprovince,\" he told reporters on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The team obtained information that there have been (pro-
\nJakarta) militia supporting the military offensive against the
\nFree Aceh Movement (GAM).<\/p>\n
He said that according to witnesses' accounts, the Indonesian
\nMilitary (TNI) have recruited non-Acehnese civilians and trained
\nthem in basic military skills.<\/p>\n
The existence of the militia group was evident for the first
\ntime when a group of militiamen burned down the office of the
\nJoint Security Council (JSC) in Takengon, Central Aceh, in March
\nin protest over JSC's delayed action against rebels violating the
\nCessation of Hostilities Agreement, which was signed by the
\ngovernment and GAM in Geneva, Switzerland, on Dec. 9, last year.<\/p>\n
The TNI employed a similar tactic in East Timor in the 1970s
\nand in 1999 to crush groups deemed to be a threat to security in
\nIndonesia's former territory.<\/p>\n
Billah said that his team had yet to verify the findings with
\nthe Aceh military administration and this task would be done by
\nthe right body's next fact-finding team who was set to depart to
\nAceh on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Billah claimed that both the TNI and GAM respected the inquiry
\nand they had not faced any problems in carrying out their
\ninvestigation in Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"We are able to go anywhere safely, even in trouble spots. We
\njust placed Komnas HAM banners on our rented cars,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Komnas HAM is expected to set up a center in Lhokseumawe and
\nBireuen to monitor day-to-day developments in the war and receive
\nreports on human rights violations from the people.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/komnas-ham-reveals-rights-abuses-under-martial-law-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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