JP/8/YUSRILL
Minister issues veiled criticism of Mega on rights trial
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra expressed hope on Monday that government regulations for witness protection and the rehabilitation and compensation for rights abuse victims would be endorsed by the President before the first hearing of the ad hoc human rights trial takes place.
The first hearing of the long-delayed human rights trial for rights violations in East Timor, with suspects including three Army generals, one police general and several other officers, is scheduled for March 14.
"We all hope that the President will soon sign the regulations because we want the human rights trial to proceed smoothly," Yusril told reporters at his office on Monday.
Seven of the 18 suspects in gross human rights violations before, during and after the United Nations-organized referendum in East Timor in 1999 have been charged with crimes against humanity including genocide which carries the death penalty.
Yusril said last week that his ministry had submitted drafts of two government regulations -- one on witness protection and the other on rehabilitation and compensation for rights violation victims -- but neither had been signed by President Megawati Soekarnoputri as of Monday evening.
The two regulations are necessary to encourage witnesses and rights violation victims to come forward and testify in the trial.
Human rights activists have deplored the government's slow response in equipping the rights trial with the regulations, arguing that they should have been issued when the law on the human rights tribunal was enacted in November 2000.
Yusril said the regulation on witness protection was the most important to ensure that the witnesses would feel safe enough to come forward, while the regulation on compensation and rehabilitation could probably wait until after the trial begins.
"The regulation on compensation can only be useful if the judges oblige the government to pay compensation to the victims and witnesses," he added. -- JP