Bagir delays ad hoc tribunal against rights violators
Bagir delays ad hoc tribunal against rights violators
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Despite pressure to bring to justice high-ranking officials
suspected of involvement in a number of human rights violation
cases, Chief Justice Bagir Manan said on Friday that the ad hoc
human rights tribunal would be delayed until early next year due
to the long holidays.
"It is something that we had failed to foresee, that there
would be such a long holiday in December -- Idul Fitri,
Christmas, and the New Year.
"Many people, including court officials, will be on leave
during the holiday season, so we decided to start the trial next
year," Bagir told reporters at his office.
When asked whether the long-awaited ad hoc tribunal would
start in January 2002, Bagir said: "God willing, we hope to try
these cases as soon as possible."
Justice Benyamin Mangkoedilaga, head of the team in charge of
screening the judges for both the ad hoc and permanent tribunals,
had previously given assurances that the ad hoc tribunal would
start sitting in December after being delayed several times.
The ad hoc tribunal is being set up to try people suspected of
being involved in human rights violations in the 1984 bloodshed
at Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, and the 1999 post-ballot
violence in East Timor.
The permanent tribunal is set to try rights abuses committed
after November 2000.
To ensure impartiality, the Supreme Court has said there would
be no police or military officers appointed as judges.
The Attorney General's Office has thus far declared three
high-ranking military officers as suspects in the East Timor
mayhem. They are former Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. Adam
Damiri and former Wiradharma Military Resort commanders Brig.
Gen. Tono Suratman and Brig. Gen. A. Nur Muis.
Meanwhile, the senior Army officers who have reportedly been
named as suspects in the Tanjung Priok incident are former Armed
Forces chief Gen. (ret) Benny Moerdani and former vice president
Try Sutrisno.
Bagir further said he had handed over 30 names to be appointed
as ad hoc judges to President Megawati Soekarnoputri for
approval.
"Soon after the President issues the decree appointing these
30 as ad hoc judges, we can proceed with the trials," Bagir said.