Government ignores UN envoy's warning over possible rights abuses

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia has been singled out by a UN envoy as one of the countries that has the potential to abuse human rights by adopting antiterrorism regulations, but the Indonesian government brushed aside the concern on Thursday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said that the two government regulations in lieu of law on terrorism, and the antiterrorism bills, dealt with terrorists. Thus, Hassan said jokingly, "why bother with human rights?"

"Protests and objections are common in this whole process of antiterror moves; so be it," he said after the Cabinet meeting.

The minister said earlier that the government was currently concentrating on adopting domestic regulations and not ratifying the international conventions.

Indonesia has ratified six UN conventions on terrorism, leaving another 12 outstanding.

Special representative for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on human rights Hina Jilani expressed concern on Tuesday over a growing number of countries adopting antiterrorism legislation after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

Such laws, she said, threatened basic human rights.

Countries that have adopted antiterrorism laws include the U.S., the UK, Australia, Indonesia, Colombia and Guatemala.

The Indonesian government issued two government regulations in lieu of law on terrorism following the Bali terror attack, which killed more than 190 people, mostly foreigners.

The government has prepared two bills to replace the two regulations.

Local rights activists have also expressed their concerns and objection to the antiterrorism regulations and bills, noting that they simply created more opportunities for the security forces to commit rights violations.

Some Muslim groups have also aired their concerns over the regulations and bills, saying that they might be used to target hard-line Muslim groups.

The government has arrested a number of hard-line Muslim leaders, including terror suspect Abu Bakar Ba'asyir. The other leaders have been released.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza once again sprung to the defense on Thursday of the regulations and bills.

He reiterated that they were not designed either to violate human rights or target Muslim groups.

"I am from a Muslim-based party, yet I am not against the regulations. Please do not misinterpret the bills as being open to misuse for arresting hard-line Muslim figures," he asserted.

"As of today, none of the Muslim figures were arrested on the basis of the two regulations," the minister added.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri signed on Thursday the letter to accompany the submission of the two antiterrorism regulations and bills to the House of Representative for deliberation.

The government, however, has asked the House to skip the regulations and deliberate the bills directly. The argument is that if the House discusses the regulations and then rejects them, the government would not have a legal instrument available with which to fight terrorism.

The House has agreed to the government's request and will directly debate the bills. When they are passed into law, they will automatically replace the regulations.

One of the two antiterrorism bills addressed the terrorism that occurred in the Bali bombing, Yusril said.