Legislators change stance on 1998-1999 shootings
Legislators change stance on 1998-1999 shootings
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Victims of the shootings of students during antigovernment
protests in 1998 and 1999 were given solace on Thursday as
lawmakers agreed to recommend the reopening of investigations
into the incidents.
All factions represented on the House of Representatives'
Commission III on law and human rights decided at a meeting on
Thursday that the legislature must revoke its previous political
statement that the incidents, which took place amid mounting
demands for sweeping reform, could not be classified as gross
human rights violations.
The investigations into the Trisakti, Semanggi I and Semanggi
II incidents by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) have been
stalled for years, as the previous House issued a decree
declaring that these cases did not involve serious human rights
abuses.
The decree was fiercely criticized by human rights groups. A
series of preliminary probes by the National Commission on Human
Rights (Komnas HAM) found that the incidents were indeed gross
violations of human rights committed by government security
forces.
Commission III said that based on a thorough review of the
various documents and reports filed by Komnas HAM, it would seek
the annulment of the decree.
"Based on our reviews, all Commission members have agreed that
the decree should be reviewed. Reviewing it can only mean one
thing, that is, the annulling of the decree. The process will be
done through a House plenary session," Commission III deputy
chairman Akil Mochtar said.
He said the recommendation would be forwarded to the House
leadership as soon as possible in order to schedule a plenary
session.
If the House actually endorses the annulment of the much-
criticized decree, Akil said it would be up to Komnas HAM and the
AGO to pursue further investigations into the incidents.
Legislator Panda Nababan shared Akil's view, saying that
there would no longer be any excuses left for the AGO not to
follow up on the Komnas HAM findings.
Once the AGO had finally completed the case files, the House
would determine whether or not an ad hoc human rights tribunal
should be set up to try the cases.
Four students from Trisakti University were shot and killed
when demonstrating in front of their campus in Grogol, West
Jakarta, on May 12, 1998, to demand reforms in the Soeharto
administration and the military.
At least 16 more students were killed in a bloody clash
between student demonstrators and troops at the Semanggi toll
road off-ramp adjacent to Atmajaya University on Oct. 13, 1998,
while 10 others were killed in another pro-democracy rally at the
same place on Sept. 24, 1999.
Former senior officers of the Jakarta Police and the military
have denied any responsibility, and claimed that they did not
order their personnel to shoot the students.
Aside from the three incidents, Commission III also agreed to
establish a special committee to look deeper into the gross human
rights abuses that occurred during the May 1998 disturbances
ahead of Soeharto's ouster. The mayhem led to the deaths of
hundreds of people, widespread gang rapes and forced
disappearances of activists.
Komnas HAM has set up a separate committee to investigate the
events surrounding the May disturbances.