Antiterrorism bill to go to House in June
Antiterrorism bill to go to House in June
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government is proposing to submit very soon to the House of
Representatives an antiterrorism bill, which allows foreign
countries to prosecute terrorists in Indonesia and threatens
stiff sanctions against them.
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said
the draft law was based substantially on the 1945 Constitution,
UN conventions and civilian rights covenants derived from English
common law.
"Terrorism is classified as a transnational crime as it can
involve a network spread over several countries simultaneously;
that is why foreign countries where our nationals are alleged to
have been involved in terrorist acts are allowed to prosecute
them here," he said. His comment was made after a ministerial
meeting presided over by Coordinating Minister for Political and
Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here on Wednesday.
But, he added, the bill did not allow foreign lawyers to
practice routinely in Indonesia.
"So, according to the bill, Indonesian citizens, foreigners,
or even stateless persons will be subject to the bill, while the
litigation process must be conducted in accordance with the
Criminal Code Procedures," he said.
The minister explained that according to the bill, a terrorist
was defined as a person who intentionally carried out violence
against numerous people, created mass terror or fear, disrupted
security, interfered with their freedom or rights, or damaged
public facilities.
"So, a terrorist act is one that has a mass impact. (I guess)
the definition of a terrorist in this bill is quite clear and it
does not allow for misinterpretation," he said.
Yusril said the bill, which would be submitted to the House
next month carried a five-year jail sentence as a minimum and the
death penalty at the other extreme, depending on the scale of the
offense.
The bill also stipulated the establishment of an antiterrorism
body, whose main tasks would be to prevent terrorism and to carry
out preliminary investigations into crimes categorized as
terrorism.
"The antiterrorism body will include members drawn from the
government, the National Police and the Indonesian Military and
they will be required to have skills in handling terrorism," he
said.
Asked about whether Indonesia was under international pressure
to adopt such legislation, Yusril insisted that the government
had sponsored the bill because the nation needed it.
He said Indonesia, as a civilized nation and member of the
international community, would never tolerate any terrorist acts
and would willingly cooperate with foreign countries to fight
terrorism.
The United States stepped up cooperation with its allies and
many other countries to fight terrorist networks worldwide
following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist acts that claimed
thousands of lives in New York.
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines signed an
antiterrorism agreement in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, facilitating
the exchange of information and equipment to fight terrorism.