No peace in Aceh without rights tribunal, activists maintain<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Military (TNI) wants to bury the hatchet following
\nthe Aceh peace agreement but human rights activists are seeking
\nthe trial of all past human rights abusers in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said the
\ngovernment will propose a reconciliation between the Acehnese
\npeople and the security authorities, instead of taking the human
\nrights abusers to court, in the spirit of the peace accord.<\/p>\n
\"Given the peace agreement's spirit of truth and justice, the
\npossible trial of abusers should also be evenhanded ... but thus
\nfar, there has yet to be a mechanism to take to court GAM members
\nwho also committed acts of violence against civilians.<\/p>\n
\"The government did not close its eyes to these cases. In
\ncertain instances, military officers have been punished for their
\nviolations,\" Susilo said.<\/p>\n
A number of low-ranking soldiers who killed dozens of students
\nat an Islamic Boarding School in Beutang Ateuh in 1999 have
\nalready been jailed.<\/p>\n
He said that human rights violations that occurred in the past
\nwould be resolved via reconciliation under Acehnese traditional
\ncustom and sharia law.<\/p>\n
\"There will be a mechanism to settle human rights abuses ...
\nin the case of gross violations of human rights there will be a
\nfair trial before reconciliation is achieved,\" he said.<\/p>\n
More than 10,000 Acehnese people, mostly civilians, were
\nkilled during 26 years of conflict, especially during the
\nmilitary operation between 1989 and 1999.<\/p>\n
The minister said that the government would cooperate with the
\nNational Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and other non-
\ngovernment organizations to determine the form of the settlement.<\/p>\n
Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh was of the same opinion, saying,
\n\"Under sharia, life could be paid with life as compensation, but
\npunishment could be avoided should victims' families accept
\nperpetrators' pleas for forgiveness,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Syaifuddin and Muhammad Nazar, two human rights activists in
\nBanda Aceh, demanded a fair trial of all security personnel who
\nhad abused Acehnese people's human rights, saying that peace
\nwould fail to materialize in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province
\nunless human rights abusers were brought to justice.<\/p>\n
Syaifuddin, also executive director of the Human Rights
\nFoundation (YPHAM), rejected the government's proposal, saying
\nthe Acehnese people would seek the trial of human rights abusers
\nthrough the planned all-inclusive dialog.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nazar, chairman of the Aceh Referendum Information
\nCenter (SIRA), warned the government not to forget human rights
\nabuses, despite the signing of the cessation of hostility
\nagreement, saying, \"We should put all sins and violations behind
\nus but we should not forget them to avoid committing similar sins
\nin the future.\"<\/p>\n
Aceh politician Gazhali Abbas concurred, saying, \"We would
\nonly be creating a pseudo-peace and be waiting for a new and
\nmajor conflict,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The trial of human rights violations will likely face a fate
\nsimilar to the trial of human rights abuses in East Timor, as the
\ntwo cases involved military and police officials.<\/p>\n
Almost all military, police and civilian officials charged
\nwith failing to prevent the 1999 East Timor violence were
\nacquitted of the charges.<\/p>\n
International pressure on the government to try human rights
\ncases has subsided, as democratic and developed countries are
\nfocusing their attention on the global war against terrorism.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-peace-in-aceh-without-rights-tribunal-activists-maintain-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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