Military top brass to face summons over abductions<\/p>\n
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After years of diminishing hope and frustration, the National
\nCommission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said on Thursday it was
\nset to question several military and police top brass over the
\nabduction of pro-democracy activists ahead of former president
\nSoeharto's fall in 1998.<\/p>\n
A team set up by the commission has summoned active and
\nretired members of the two forces, including Gen. (ret) Wiranto,
\nLt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, and Ministry of Defense
\nsecretary-general Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsuddin, to appear for
\nquestioning.<\/p>\n
Team head Ruswiati Suryasaputra said that so far only Wiranto,
\nscheduled to be questioned on June 10, has confirmed his
\nattendance.<\/p>\n
However, Prabowo and Sjafrie, who were summoned to show up on
\nFriday, had yet to respond as of Thursday.<\/p>\n
The three officers held key positions within the military
\nduring the 1997-1998 period, when dozens of pro-democracy
\nactivists were abducted ahead of Soeharto's fall that was
\npreceded by mass riots in Jakarta in May 1998.<\/p>\n
Wiranto served as Army chief and subsequently as Indonesian
\nArmed Forces (ABRI) commander. Prabowo served as chief of the
\nArmy's Special Forces (Kopassus) before being promoted as chief
\nof the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), while Sjafrie
\nwas a Kopassus member.<\/p>\n
Formed in January, the team was compiling data, information
\nand facts regarding the abductions, before determining whether or
\nnot gross human rights violations had occurred. The team's tenure
\nexpires on July 20.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a hearing with the House of Representatives'
\nCommission III on legal affairs, Ruswiati said the team has so
\nfar gathered information and testimony from victims of abduction
\nas well as relatives and families of missing persons.<\/p>\n
She said the three military officials, who are among the 12
\nmilitary and police personnel on the questioning list, were
\nsummoned based on testimony given by victims who managed to
\neither escape or who were released, and also documents from the
\ntrials of Mawar (Rose) team members.<\/p>\n
Members of the Mawar team, part of the Kopassus' antiterror
\nsquad led by Col. Khairawan, were brought to a military court in
\n1999 after the kidnapping cases of activists were revealed.<\/p>\n
The head of the Mawar team, Maj. Gen. Bambang Kristiono, and
\nall the team members, claimed the kidnappings were undertaken at
\nthe team's own initiative. All team members received prison
\nterms, while Bambang was dismissed from the Army.<\/p>\n
She said her team has sent a letter to TNI chief Gen.
\nEndriartono Sutarto asking him to permit active officials to be
\nsummoned, but said that as yet no response had been received.<\/p>\n
\"We may issue second summonses. If they still refuse to
\nappear, then we'll issue a subpoena against them as we have the
\nright to do this under Law No. 39\/1999 on Human Rights,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The House's Commission III chairman, Akil Mochtar, said he was
\ndemanding that Endriartono provide full access so that the team
\ncould properly investigate the kidnapping cases and to allow
\nreconstructions based on the information gathered from all
\nwitnesses.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-top-brass-to-face-summons-over-abductions-1447893297",
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