Human rights in 1996

Human rights in 1996

When it comes to human rights observation in Indonesia, 1996
has not been not a good year. The violations may not have drawn
as much of an international outcry as did the killings in
Liquisa, East Timor, and Timika, Irian Jaya, that overshadowed
1995, but no one can take pride in the country's performance this
year. There were plenty of cases for us to reflect on, both
outwardly as a nation, and introspectively as individuals.

The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) published its 1996
annual report Friday, giving yet another thumbs down to human
rights observation in Indonesia. The conclusions corroborated
much of the report of the Center for Human Rights Studies
(Yapusham) announced the week before.

The two reports, which give details of the important human
rights violations this year, have a similar theme: that most of
the violations were committed by the state. The YLBHI report even
went as far as suggesting that "violence and public officials"
are becoming like two sides of the same coin. A further
corroboration of this point came from the National Commission on
Human Rights, which said that it received 186 reports from people
alleging human rights violations committed by the government this
year.

If anything, human rights violations in 1996 were more
widespread than before. We only need to recall the unrest that
rocked Ujungpandang, Jakarta, Situbondo, and last week,
Tasikmalaya. These riots often eclipsed other forms of violations
that did not grab the headlines or as much public attention.

The year also had its share of reports of police brutality --
with some torture ending in victims' death -- , cases of
deprivation of civil rights -- such as freedom of expression and
freedom of assembly -- and the prosecution against government
critics with the use of the unpopular subversion law. There were
also numerous allegations of rights violations in land and labor
disputes.

There was one startling point raised by Yapusham: that
university rectors come second after police officers as the most
frequent violators. This is apparently for prohibiting
discussions or the appearance of certain speakers on their
campuses. The academic world is the last place one would expect
to find human rights violations.

Allegations of human rights violations in Indonesia are not
new. YLBHI has been producing an annual report every year for at
least a decade. Foreign organizations such as the Amnesty
International and Human Rights Watch have tirelessly attacked
Indonesia. The government has lashed out at these foreign
organizations, accusing them of having ulterior motives behind
their criticism.

But no one can accuse the human rights commission, Yapusham or
YLBHI of having ulterior motives. These are respected local
institutions, run by men and women of high integrity and respect,
which have been consistent in fighting for the promotion of human
rights in this country. In the face of their criticism, the
government cannot shift into denial mode just as it did with
Amnesty International.

It is therefore encouraging to hear Coordinating Minister for
Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman saying last week
that he would look into the Yapusham report. Let's hope that his
promise does not turn out to be merely lip service.

The country needs to bolster its performance in respecting
human rights in 1997. Taking Yapusham, YLBHI, the National
Commission on Human Rights and other critics more seriously will
be a good starting point.