Anonymous threats continue on human rights activists

JAKARTA (JP): Human rights activists working to publicly disclose information on the mass rapes that occurred during the May riots have reported that they are continuing to receive anonymous threats.

Members of the Volunteers for Humanity told a media conference at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation on Tuesday that they had been receiving threatening phone calls and letters and had been followed.

They also recounted an instance in June when a grenade had been sent to their office in East Jakarta.

"The callers are threatening the activists, saying that if they continue their work, they will sexually assault their daughters," Ita Fatia Nadia of the women's rights group Kalyanamitra said.

Ita said a daughter of one of the activists had been verbally harassed over the phone. She explained that her group had been accused of spreading rumors of the rapes and advocating a particular religion and minority group.

Led by Catholic priest Sandyawan Sumardi, the Volunteers for Humanity reported to the National Commission on Human Rights in July that at least 168 women and children were raped or sexually abused during the riots in Jakarta and other cities.

It also said 20 of them had been either murdered by their assailants or had subsequently died of their injuries.

The government, however, has since denied the report, saying that there was no evidence to support the claims.

National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said in August that some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were exaggerating reports of rapes and sexual assaults against Chinese-Indonesian women during the riots.

Roesmanhadi said that if the NGOs failed to come up with evidence and continued their claims, they could be charged with spreading unsubstantiated rumors.

Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto has also repeatedly said as recently as Sunday that ABRI had found no evidence to substantiate the claims.

The Volunteers for Humanity was the first organization to raise the alarm about the systematic gang-rapes during the May riots.

It also was the first to allege that the May 13 to May 15 rioting was incited by people who appeared to have been well organized.

"I am sure that the people who have been threatening us are people who helped mastermind the riots," said Sandyawan, who was also present on Tuesday. Karlina Leksono, another volunteer, said the activists were being threatened because they had "broken the silence".

Human rights activists say that it has been very difficult to encourage the sexual assault victims to come forward and disclose their ordeals.

"Once the silence is broken, the intimidators' second line of defense is to make the public not listen ... by discrediting witnesses, victims and activists who have been working to disclose the atrocities," Karlina said.

Karlina added that her cellular phone had been tapped and that unanswered incoming calls would be greeted by a male voice and then diverted to a number of a car dealer.

She said that a recent secretly arranged meeting between a doctor and a sexual assault victim had been located by the police.

"Minutes after the victim left, a policewoman entered the doctor's room and forced the doctor to reveal her identity," said Karlina, who in February set up the Voice of Concerned Mothers which protests the scarcity and high prices of basic commodities.

Ita said it was unlikely that the phone tappings had been carried out by ordinary people "because these people have access to the telecommunications company".

The government established a team in July which includes representatives from ABRI, government agencies, the rights body and non-governmental organizations to investigate allegations that the riots were masterminded.

The team is expected to complete its task later this month. (byg)