Human rights violations lamented
Human rights violations lamented
JAKARTA (JP): The newly-established Indonesian Legal Aid and
Human Rights Association (PBHI) took note yesterday of power
abuses as it concluded its end of year evaluation on human rights.
The association's executive director Hendardi said there was
deep concern about the malfunctioning of Indonesia's legal and
judicial institutions and about political violence which had
almost reached a critical point.
His comments coincided with yesterday's 48th anniversary of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
He said the institutions had fallen short of ensuring law
enforcement and justice. Instead, they have reduced themselves to
instruments of the authorities.
Citing the trials of the July 27 rioters Hendardi said
judicial proceedings were just a device to find scapegoats for
the violence.
The riots came after supporters of the officially-backed
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) chairman, Soerjadi, attacked
and took over the party's headquarters which was occupied by
supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the ousted PDI chairwoman.
According to the National Commission on Human Rights five
people died, 149 were injured and 23 in the riots while 23 were
still missing.
"It's obvious in this case that human rights violations, or at
least discrimination of justice, have been permitted to go
ahead," Hendardi said.
He reiterated his criticism against the use of the Dutch
colonial-era Subversion Law, saying Indonesia had suffered a
major setback in the development of its laws.
"As if to add insult to injury, the Attorney General, the
final bastion for justice seekers, sparked controversies by
quashing lower court verdicts on land disputes in Kedung Ombo,
Central Java and in Irian Jaya, the ban of Tempo magazine and the
exoneration of labor group leader Muchtar Pakpahan," Hendardi
said.
He also lamented the government's failure to ratify the
international covenant against torture. "The government is too
slow to adapt to international standards," Hendardi said. "This
allows human rights violations conducted by law enforcing
bureaucrats." (amd)