48pt - 4/2 (2x10)

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.