Generals held account for past rights abuses: Komnas

Generals held account for past rights abuses: Komnas

Muninggar Sri Saraswati
Jakarta

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) appealed to
all presidential and vice presidential candidates to carefully
read its reports on human rights violations in the past.

Komnas HAM Chairman Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara said the
reports clearly identified the gravity of the rights violations
and who were held responsible for the abuses and it would be the
job of the next government to follow them up.

"Our reports of investigation into the Trisakti and mass riots
in May 1998 and the Semanggi I and Semanggi II incidents in
November 1998 and September 1999 said the military authorities
were held accountable for those incidents, including Wiranto,
Prabowo, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and others," Abdul Hakim told The
Jakarta Post.

Wiranto was the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief, Lt. Gen.
(ret) Prabowo was the chief of the Army's Strategic Reserve
Command (Kostrad) and Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin was the chief
of the Jakarta military command when the May 1998 incidents took
place.

"We do not mean to say they were the perpetrators of the
incidents, but they have to be responsible because as commanders
of the security authorities they failed to protect people," Abdul
Hakim asserted.

He was commenting on a statement from Solahuddin Wahid, who
said on Wednesday the rights body had cleared his running mate in
the July 5 presidential election Gen. (ret) Wiranto of the gross
human rights violations.

Solahuddin led the Komnas Ham team of investigation into the
May riots before resigning recently, and attempted to subpoena
the active and former military officers, who turned out to ignore
the summons.

Abdul Hakim said the rights body's findings would remain
intact and urged the Attorney General's Office to launch a formal
investigation based on the commission's reports.

"Whoever governs the country, he or she has to finish what we
have started. If the current government fails to do it, then the
next one has to get the job done," Abdul Hakim said.

He also called on presidential and vice presidential
candidates from accusing rights campaigners of lacking
nationalism and working for foreign interests.

"Instead, because of nationalism we promote human rights," he
said.

Separately, Komnas HAM deputy chairperson Zoemrotin K. Susilo,
told reporters at her office the fact that Solahuddin would
contest the presidential election as the running mate of Golkar
Party's candidate Wiranto had nothing to do with the commission.

She refused, however, to comment on Solahuddin's statement in
defense of Wiranto.

"It's his personal statement. We have nothing to do with it
despite the fact that he once led the team to probe the May 1998
riots. Let the people decide," she said.

Wiranto has accused his implication in various human rights
abuses is a form of his character assassination.

A fact finding team set up by the government of B.J. Habibie
announced on Nov. 3, 1998, that individuals within the armed
forces took an active role in inciting the May riots and
confirmed the occurrence of rape and sexual assault during the
violence.

"The commission found the indications (of Wiranto's
involvement in the case). Therefore we started to summon him as a
witness. But he did not show up. If he really considers himself
innocent, he should answer the summon. It's about moral ethics,"
Zoemrotin said.