NGOs complain to rights body of harassment<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Activists from local non-governmental
\norganizations (NGOs) complained about continued harassment from
\n\"government officials\" yesterday.<\/p>\n
Maria Pakpahan, a member of one of the 16 NGOs lodging their
\ncomplaint with the National Commission on Human Rights, said some
\nof the harassment amounted to violations of civil rights.<\/p>\n
\"What we've been experiencing clearly are violations of our
\nbasic rights, such as rights not to be tortured and to be
\npresumed innocent,\" the member of the International NGOs' Forum
\nfor Development told commission members Marzuki Darusman,
\nClementino dos Reis Amaral and Asmara Nababan.<\/p>\n
Following the July 27 riots blamed on Democratic People's
\nParty (PRD), a small leftist youth organization, the authorities
\nhave cracked down on members of other NGOs.<\/p>\n
Tati Krisnawaty, the executive chairperson of the Solidaritas
\nPerempuan women's organization, said that 20 people in civilian
\nclothes claiming to be police officers raided the organization's
\nheadquarters in Cipinang Cempedak, East Jakarta, Monday.<\/p>\n
The men ransacked all of the rooms and seized documents and
\nsome office equipment, Tati alleged.<\/p>\n
\"The plain-clothed police officers detained three employees.
\nOne of them, a woman, was interrogated in a violent way and, as a
\nresult, she's deeply depressed,\" Tati charged.<\/p>\n
Another NGO alleged that one of its members was arrested, and
\nlater \"tortured\", after mingling with a crowd in front of the
\nCentral Jakarta District Court trying the lawsuit of deposed
\nchief of Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Megawati Soekarnoputri
\nagainst the government and her political rivals.<\/p>\n
\"He was forced to say that he is a member of the PRD. He was
\ndetained for one month,\" said Billah, a representative of the
\norganization.<\/p>\n
The activists called on the commission to set aside some funds
\nto establish a crisis center for people who were physically or
\npsychologically traumatized. \"The center could also serve as a
\nsafe haven for people wanting to evade arbitrary arrest,\" the
\nactivists said.<\/p>\n
Marzuki said that the police should be the first institution
\nto which people go in search of safety. He called on the
\nactivists not to be overly alarmed because the crackdown was not
\n\"a normal situation\".<\/p>\n
He conceded that NGOs are currently in an \"uncomfortable
\nrelationship\" with the government, marked by blocked political
\ncommunication. He suggested more meetings between the NGOs and
\ngovernment agencies.<\/p>\n
Another complaint was lodged by lawyer Bambang Widjojanto of
\nthe Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute. He accused
\ngovernment investigators of attempting to forcibly elicit
\ninformation on some suspects from their own lawyers.<\/p>\n
\"This means that the government has pushed us to violate our
\nprofession's ethics,\" he said. He cited the Attorney General's
\nOffice's decision to make him a witness against his own client,
\nPRD chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko, as a case in point.<\/p>\n
The NGOs were also protesting about negative labels slapped on
\nsome of them by the authorities. Organizations which advocate
\npeople's rights in land disputes, for instance, protested the
\ngovernment allegation that they were conducting \"political
\nactivities similar to those of the PRD\".<\/p>\n
The activists also refuted the allegation that they were
\ninvolved in violent action to further their objectives.<\/p>\n
\"The NGOs don't promote any form of violence,\" said Emmy
\nHafild, the executive director of the Indonesian Environmental
\nForum (Walhi).<\/p>\n
\"If we educate people to be more aware of their rights, it
\ndoesn't mean we instigate or mastermind violent riots,\" Emmy
\nsaid. \"Moreover, we are organizations which do not seek to make a
\nprofit.\" (16)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ngos-complain-to-rights-body-of-harassment-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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