48pt - 4/2 (2x10)
Evictions an abuse of human rights: Komnas HAM
Bambang Nurbianto The Jakarta Post Jakarta
A string of evictions in the capital during the past two months has been classified as systematic abuses of human rights by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
A member of Komnas HAM, Taheri Noor, told Governor Sutiyoso at City Hall on Wednesday that the city administration's method of vacating land occupied by illegal squatters had been systematic. Moreover, it was a criminal activity, based on Article 41 of Law no. 26/2000 on human rights.
The article stipulates that any attempt, conspiracy or assistance to commit a violation of human rights, either genocide or crimes against humanity, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.
Taheri said that the evictions had made the lives of thousands of people miserable.
A man was killed during the evictions in Cengkarent, West Jakarta, last month, while a teenage girl was sexually abused allegedly by men in blue uniforms.
Komnas HAM has set up a special team chaired by its deputy chairman Solahuddin Wahid to investigate the alleged human rights abuses.
During the meeting -- also attended by the National Commission on Child Protection (Komnas Anak), the mayors of North Jakarta, West Jakarta and East Jakarta and the city administration officials -- Sutiyoso did not respond to the findings of Komnas HAM.
This is not the first time the governor has been accused of violating human rights. In 1996 he was accused of human rights abuses when the Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) headquarters was attacked. The party was headed by Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Megawati, who now heads the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), backed Sutiyoso during the gubernatorial election last year.
The head of the City Public Order Agency, Soebagio, has strongly denied that human rights abuses occurred during the evictions.
Soebagio, a retired marine colonel, said that the evictions were aimed at repossessing land belonging to the city or the private sector.
"I am not aware of this case but, if the man was killed during the evictions, I will take responsibility" he said.
Komnas Anak chairman Seto Mulyadi urged the administration to halt the evictions, in line with the proposal by Komnas HAM, Komnas Anak and the National Commission on Women Rights (Komnas Perempuan) to have a 180-day moratorium.
Scholar Franz Magnis-Suseno also proposed a six-month moratorium to give all parties concerned a chance to discuss the evictions.
Meanwhile, Komnas Anak has recorded that 335 children in Cengkareng and Tanjung Duren Selatan, West Jakarta need assistance in order to continue their studies. Many were forced to quit school after their parents lost their belongings during the evictions.
Sutiyoso said that the city has allocated funds to help the children continue their studies. The assistance will cover tuition, uniforms and books.