Students mark arrests of fellow activists<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of students marched to the House of
\nRepresentatives wearing gags yesterday to mark the anniversary of
\nthe Dec. 14, 1993 arrest of 21 students for insulting President
\nSoeharto during a demonstration.<\/p>\n
One female student sprinkled flower petals along the way in
\nimitation of a funeral procession, while some of her friends
\npantomimed scenes of torture, death and mourning.<\/p>\n
"What our friends fought for last year is also part of our
\nstruggle," the students, who refused to speak, announced through
\na written statement.<\/p>\n
"Students, as the heart and soul of this nation, should uphold
\nhumanity and justice.<\/p>\n
"Because the freedom of speech has become so restricted in
\nthis country, this time we choose to remain silent," the
\nstatement said.<\/p>\n
The protesters of the Solidarity for Indonesian Students'
\nAction also condemned what they called the authorities' "security
\napproach".<\/p>\n
"The results of this approach are disrespect for humanity and
\njustice," the statement said, listing off a number of land
\ndispute cases which reportedly involved violence on the part of
\nthe authorities.<\/p>\n
Among the land disputes mentioned were the Nipah village,
\nMadura, incident, and similar problems in the Cijayanti and
\nCimacan villages of West Java.<\/p>\n
"We believe that this nation is going in the opposite
\ndirection of the ideals contained in the 1945 proclamation of
\nindependence," the statement said.<\/p>\n
The statement said the protesters were reaffirming the demands
\nmade by their friends last year.<\/p>\n
On Dec. 14 last year, 21 students were arrested after they
\ndemanded that the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) convene a
\nspecial session to evaluate President Soeharto's leadership.<\/p>\n
The members of the Front for Indonesian Students' Action came
\nfrom various universities in Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Bali.
\nAfter highly publicized trials, they were sentenced to several
\nmonths in prison each, after being convicted of insulting the
\nhead of state.<\/p>\n
Some have been released. The rest are scheduled to be freed
\nlater this month.<\/p>\n
Convention<\/p>\n
In a related discussion on human rights, House members from
\nthe United Development Party faction pointed out the need for
\nIndonesia to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture and Other
\nCruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.<\/p>\n
"However, the people should not depend solely on this faction
\nin seeking support for the ratification... After all, we are a
\nsmall and powerless political group," said House member Muchsin
\nat a hearing with members of the Institute for Policy Research
\nand Advocacy.<\/p>\n
House member Ali Hardi Kiaidemak said that there were several
\nproblems to be faced in the process of ratifying such a
\nconvention.<\/p>\n
These included the need for at least two factions of the House
\nto endorse the ratification and the need to take into account the
\n"cultural values" inherent in the convention, which some people
\nmight view as pressure from the "West", as well as the
\npossibility of a presidential decree overpowering the
\nratification.<\/p>\n
The institute was hoping to get the faction's endorsement for
\nthe ratification of the convention which deals with torture and
\nother physical abuse by people in public office, including the
\nmilitary.<\/p>\n
The convention has already been ratified by 82 countries.
\nIndonesia signed the convention in October 1985, but has never
\nratified it.<\/p>\n
The institute's executive director, Abdul Hakim Garuda
\nNusantara, said that nine years was more than enough time to
\nprepare for the ratification.<\/p>\n
The increasing number of tortures lately is another reason the
\nratification is urgently needed, he said.<\/p>\n
The institute has submitted drafts of the convention to all
\nthe factions in the House, as well as to the state secretariat
\nand the ministries of foreign affairs and justice.<\/p>\n
Although members of the faction never explicitly said they
\nwould endorse a draft of the convention, they said they had "the
\nsame spirit and perception" as the institute.<\/p>\n
"We know exactly what you mean by torture, because many of our
\nmembers have to go through that experience during the elections,
\nand even afterwards," Kiaidemak said. (swe\/pwn)<\/p>",
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