Indonesia moves closer to East Timor rights trials

Indonesia moves closer to East Timor rights trials

Tertiani ZB Simandjutak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite strong opposition from rights activists, head of the
Central Jakarta District Court Subardi swore in 11 ad hoc trial
judges on Thursday for the much delayed rights tribunal.

The new judges, who are mostly law lecturers at state-owned
and private universities from around the country, will join 12
career judges already appointed to the Ad Hoc Human Rights Court
that will hear human rights violation cases before and after the
United Nations-administered East Timor popular consultation in
1999 and the Tanjung Priok Muslim shooting incident in 1984.

"We are ready (for the trials), the judges are also ready and
so are the court rooms," Subardi said after the swearing-in
ceremony.

Subardi, who is also chairman of the Ad Hoc Human Rights
Court, said a panel of five judges, consisting of two career
judges and three non-career judges, would be assigned to each
case. One of the career judges will serve as the panel head.

The human rights trial is expected to start in February, but
court officials said no date had been set for the hearing to
begin.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri issued Decree No. 6/2002 on
Jan. 14 appointing 18 non-career judges to the rights tribunal,
but it was unclear on Thursday why only 11 were sworn in. One
judge resigned before he was sworn in for "failing to meet strict
requirements".

Human rights activists, however, have criticized the
government over inclusion of several judges who, according to
them, have questionable track records. They particularly
questioned the appointment of non-career judge Rudi Muhammad
Rizki, a lecturer who once gave advice to a legal team
representing former military commander General Wiranto in
connection to earlier questioning over East Timor.

Rizki slammed suggestions he would not be impartial.

"It's too much if people say I work for Wiranto. I only met
him once. I only gave academic input which was conducted in a
very informal way," Rizki said after the ceremony on Thursday.

Indonesia has come under heavy pressure from donor countries
and international human rights groups to bring to justice those
responsible for the killings and mayhem in East Timor before and
after the former Portuguese colony overwhelmingly voted to break
away from Indonesia on Aug. 30, 1999.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights'
(UNHCHR) special rapporteur Leandro Despouy told the Megawati
administration last week that the international community would
closely observe the proceedings of the human rights tribunal.

He also said that his office would send international
observers to monitor the proceedings and hinted that the cases
would be taken to international courts if the whole process did
not meet international standards.

Chief Justice Bagir Manan said after the swearing-in ceremony
on Thursday that the judges would strictly follow the rules.

"I cannot guarantee that the verdict of the trial will satisfy
the international community but I am confident the judges will
work well," he said.

The trial is also one of the issues which is hindering a
resumption of U.S.-Indonesian military cooperation.

Bagir also urged prosecutors from the Attorney General's
Office to file strong cases against the 19 suspects, including
three army generals, a police general and several middle-ranking
officers, otherwise the outcome could be "imperfect".

A total of 36 general prosecutors, including state
prosecutors, former state prosecutors and military prosecutors,
have been appointed for the trial.

Meanwhile, Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza
Mahendra said on Thursday that Human Rights Law No. 26/2000,
particularly Chapter 34, already guaranteed protection for
witnesses in any human rights trial.

He, however, said that the government was still drafting the
implementation guideline of the human rights law which was
expected to be completed before the cases are brought to court.

East Timor human rights cases took place before and after the UN-
mandated Aug. 30, 1999 popular vote:

- Attack on proindependence leader Manuel Carrascalao's house in
Dili which killed at least 12 people on April 17

- A massacre of refugees in a church in Liquica in April

- Attack on the home of Dili bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo on
Sept. 6

- A massacre in a church in Suai where at least 26 people died in
September.

The Attorney General's Office has named 18 suspects, including
top military and police officers

Tanjung Priok case occurred on Sept. 12, 1984 when people clashed
with military troops, leaving at least 42 people killed. The
Attorney General's Office has yet to name any suspect.