Kontras spurns ruling on tribunal

Kontras spurns ruling on tribunal

JAKARTA (JP): The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims
of Violence (Kontras) on Tuesday rejected the government
regulation in lieu of law which established a national human
rights tribunal.

Kontras coordinator Munir said the regulation was designed
more to protect guilty parties from an international inquiry into
atrocities in East Timor, rather than prosecuting these abuses in
the court.

The government regulation in lieu of law for the national
human right tribunal was enacted by President B.J. Habibie on
Oct. 8, as a response to the outcome of a UN vote last month on
an international human rights investigation for East Timor.

Kontras, however, saw several articles in the regulation that
could allow human rights abusers to avoid prosecution.

The regulation, for example, allows the police and the
military to conduct investigations, even though members of these
two institutions are most likely to become suspects during the
inquiry. (03)