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)