Human rights monitors under pressure to leave Aceh

Human rights monitors under pressure to leave Aceh

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Most of the human rights workers in Aceh feel threatened with
arbitrary arrest if they try to continue working in war-torn Aceh
as the martial law administration in the province has alleged
that they are involved with armed separatists.

Several have already fled to other cities outside the
province, including Jakarta, to seek protection.

"Many activists from Aceh, including some of our volunteers,
have already moved here as their safety in Aceh has been under
threat," said Usman Hamid, the chairman of the Commission for
Victims of Violence and Missing Persons (Kontras).

The military administration, he said, could arbitrarily "pick
up the activists", similar to the military operation since 1989
to 1998 with many of the same people.

Some human rights monitors in Aceh told The Jakarta Post
earlier that the military administration had targeted them as
soon as their campaign to uproot the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
began.

The troops would raid the offices of human rights oriented
nongovernmental organizations and detain the activists without
evidence of a crime, said one of the activists on Tuesday.

"During the detention, they were often assaulted by the
officers and threatened in a bid to make them plead guilty to
something," the activist added.

Lawyers are also barred from accompanying any of the monitors
during questioning, a part of legal process which is required by
the Criminal Code Procedure.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) ad hoc
team to monitor the military operation in Aceh, which has
conducted preliminary investigations over possible rights
violations in the province, confirmed that there had been
arbitrary arrests of activists and that they had the right to be
accompanied by lawyers during interrogation by the military.

Worse, lawyers are also being intimidated by military
officers.

"I came to Aceh to meet and represent my client, Cut Nur
Asikin, who requested my assistance. But military officers there
told me that the martial law ruler would not permit me. Later in
the day, a team of officers raided my hotel room," said lawyer
Johnson Panjaitan, who is also the deputy chairman of the
Indonesia Legal Aid and Human Rights Institute (PBHI).

Johnson lost some documents during the raid which was launched
"to seek banned drugs and marijuana", last month. Cut is a
leader of a nongovernmental organization in Aceh which deals with
women's issues. Police charged her with being the leader of
Inong Balee, GAM's female military wing.

At least 10 known activists have chosen to seek protection in
Jakarta. Unfortunately, Jakarta is not free from intimidation
either, particularly for those who happen to be Acehnese.

"Our colleagues from Aceh must stay in different locations
here as their neighborhood unit leaders often question them. Even
their relatives feel afraid of making contact with them," said
Usman, adding that Kontras was frequently threatened by
unidentified parties.

Last month, the Kontras office in Jakarta was attacked by an
organized mob of 100 staunch nationalists who condemned the
institution for criticizing the government's actions in Aceh.

Separately, City Governor Sutiyoso called on Jakartans to stay
alert for "possible terrorist acts by GAM members" against public
places and vital assets in the city.

"Please, keep vigilant as GAM members here may have prepared
an attack or may sabotage key areas in the capital where we let
our guard down," Sutiyoso told The Jakarta Post here on Tuesday.

Sutiyoso claimed that GAM members might have already
infiltrated the area disguised as refugees who have recently come
from the province.

Sutiyoso added that he had not instructed his subordinates to
target Acehnese people here.

"There is no such policy. But there might be some technical
problems in the field," he explained.