Rights body urges fresh probe into Aceh abuses<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has reminded
\nthe government of its unfinished investigations into a number of
\nalleged crimes against humanity involving the state in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Commission member M.M. Bilah, also co-founder of the National
\nCommission for Missing Person and Victims of Violence (Kontras),
\nsaid it would review the government's investigations of the cases
\nwhich had failed to live up to public's expectations.<\/p>\n
\"The state has so far failed to promote fair trials that meet
\ninternational standards.<\/p>\n
\"The Attorney General's Office specifically has been unable to
\nfollow up investigations conducted by the commission. I wonder
\nwhy President Megawati Soekarnoputri and lawmakers do not force
\nstate prosecutors to do so,\" Bilah told The Jakarta Post on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
He said the slow legal process of crimes against humanity
\nwould further tarnish the image of the government and the House
\nof Representatives.<\/p>\n
Aceh has an abundance of human rights abuse cases,
\nparticularly when the restive province came under a decade-long
\nmilitary operation (DOM) that ended in 1998.<\/p>\n
Despite the government's and the military's apology to the
\nAcehnese for violence committed during the DOM, the violence has
\ncontinued. The most notable post-DOM rights violation was the
\nkilling of Tengku Bantaqiah, a Muslim teacher in Blang Meurandeh
\nvillage in West Aceh, and his supporters in 1999. Several
\nsoldiers were tried by a joint civilian-military court, instead
\nof a human rights tribunal as many had demanded.<\/p>\n
An inquiry team set up by the rights body found at least 5,000
\ncivilians had been killed, while thousands of others were
\ntortured and some women raped during the 10-year military
\noperation.<\/p>\n
Thus far, the government has only established an ad hoc
\ntribunal for perpetrators of violence in the lead-up to and after
\nthe 1999 independence vote in East Timor in 1999, thanks to
\npersistent international pressure.<\/p>\n
The government is preparing another human rights tribunal for
\nthose involved in the 1984 bloodshed in Tanjung Priok, North
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Skepticism has been rife, however, over whether the country
\nhas the intention to uphold human rights, following the light
\nsentences and the acquittal of several military and police
\nofficers implicated in the East Timor mayhem.<\/p>\n
\"The military's resistance to support fair trials has also
\nbeen questioned over whether they try to protect their own
\npolitical and business interests in the rich provinces,\" Bilal
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, rights activists urged new members of Komnas HAM to
\nwatch whether the government's new policy in Aceh would lead to
\nfurther rights violations.<\/p>\n
Ori Rachman of Kontras and Hendardi of the Indonesian Legal
\nAid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) said that special
\nautonomy for the troubled province would not be the only answer
\nfor all problems there, considering that \"the policy looks to
\ncome from the central government alone.\"<\/p>\n
\"Special autonomy for Aceh is a step forward to resettle
\nproblems there because it is considered to bring more welfare for
\nthe Acehnese people. But it will also vulnerable to rights abuses
\nas it failed to accommodate aspirations of the Acehnese,\" Ori
\ntold the Post.<\/p>\n
Ori further expressed hope that the new members of the
\ncommission would take serious action against what he called
\n\"systemic rights violations\" in Aceh and other restive regions,
\nincluding Irian Jaya, Poso and Maluku, because \"the violence
\nescalation there stems from the security approach chosen by the
\nmilitary and police personnel.\"<\/p>\n
Hendardi agreed with Ori, saying the commission had to show
\nits goodwill to investigate other rights violation cases in the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"The law grants the commission the right to conduct a thorough
\ninvestigation into violence implicating the state. But I don't
\nsee significant efforts pursued by the old commission members
\nregarding past abuses in Aceh,\" Handardi said.<\/p>\n
\"The commission should not justify the military's impunity.\"<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rights-body-urges-fresh-probe-into-aceh-abuses-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }