Government urged to ratify agreement against torture

JAKARTA (JP): A local human rights institute is lobbying the government to ratify an international agreement against torture and other forms of cruelty.

Activists of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy said yesterday that the government should take both political and legal actions to stop violent treatment on the part of public officials.

The institute is urging the government to promptly ratify the International Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment, which it signed on Oct. 23, 1985.

Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, executive director of the institute, told journalists that cruelty, violent treatment and degrading punishments by officials are still rife in Indonesia.

The institute, which has conducted investigations into such practices in various provinces, has brought out a comprehensive report in support of its call for the ratification of the convention.

Citing one example, Abdul Hakim said that 11 suspected rebels in Irian Jaya were killed by Indonesian troops last May and that, last December, about 20 people were tortured after refusing to sign a statement on their involvement in rebellious activities.

The institute is also asking the government to incorporate into Indonesian law the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, which was agreed upon by a General Assembly of the United Nations on Dec. 17, 1979.

Abdul Hakim said the Indonesian Criminal Code need to be revised to include penalties for law enforcers who torture suspects during interrogations.

The government should systematically improve interrogation methods, arrest procedures and the treatment of people who are incarcerated, the institute said.

The institute has urged members of the National Commission on Human Rights to conduct an objective investigation into the alleged killing by security officers of 17 people in Timika, Irian Jaya, between last December and May this year and to publicly announce its findings.

The commission dispatched four of its members to investigate the spate of incidents reported in Timika since last year.

Abdul Hakim said the commission should use its weight to pressure the government to stop violent actions against people in Irian Jaya and elsewhere.

The institute released yesterday a report on unresolved cases of degrading treatment and punishment by officials in various provinces. According to the report, such abuses occurred in Aceh, North Sumatra, East Java, Central Java and East Timor.

Non-government organizations, both national and international, should be allowed to monitor human rights conditions in the country, the institute says.

It has asked the government to provide full authority to the National Commission of Human Rights to investigate gross violations of human rights and to interrogate officials suspected of violating human rights.(05)