Government ignores UN envoy's warning over possible rights abuses
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.