NGOs slam Brimob over abduction of Aceh students
Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Banda Aceh
Six Acehnese students, mostly activists, have disappeared after they were taken by officers from the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) from their homes three days ago.
Many have speculated that they were picked due to their strong opposition to the ongoing martial law and their alleged links with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Dita Indah Sari, an activist from Aceh-Papua Solidarity (SAP), said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the five activists, three of them women, were Harlina (22), Nova Rahayu (23), Nursida (22) from the Acehnese Democratic Women's Organization (ORPAD) Iwan Irama Putra from the Linge Students Network (IMPEL) and Syafruddin from the Student Solidarity for the People (SMUR).
The remaining one was Masrizal, who is reportedly a member of GAM's military wing. The six were students of Syahkuala University and Ar-Rainiry Islamic Teaching Institute (IAIN) in the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh.
"Their whereabouts is unclear after police asserted that they had not detained any activists or students, whereas according to eyewitnesses, the six were taken by Brimob personnel from their own homes in Banda Aceh," Dita said in a joint press conference with the National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), on Tuesday.
"They just staged rallies demanding that the government lift martial law. The women activists had said that martial law and the military operation had brought suffering to the people, especially women, and had not restored security and order in the resource-rich province," said Dita.
Martial law imposed on May 19, 2003, to quell the separatist movement with a budget of Rp 1.3 trillion, was extended for another six months in December with an additional budget of Rp 1.4 trillion. So far, more than 2,000 people believed to be rebels have been killed and more than 2,500 others have been arrested or "reeducated" to accept the unitary state of Indonesia (NKRI).
According to the eyewitnesses, Mazrizal and Iwan were taken away on Feb. 19, and Feb. 22, 2004 respectively
Several days later, the police picked up Harlina who was beaten before she was taken into a Kijang minivan. After Harlina, Syarifuddin was also picked up by Brimob officers.
Meanwhile, the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) in Aceh said that three activists had already been released, but refused to identify them.
"We have been appointed to provide legal counsel for them. Three of them have been released today, but three others are still missing. I can't say anything else, pending the release of the others," SAP Coordinator Afrida Darmi said.
The London-based human rights group Amnesty International condemned the detainment of the six activists, saying that such arrests were believed to have been conducted "due to the peaceful expression of their political beliefs and their work in defense human rights."
"Grave human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions of both adults and children" have been reported since the latest offensive was launched in May, 19, 2003, Amnesty said.
"Anyone detained by the police and military in (Aceh) is at risk of torture, ill-treatment and other human rights violations," it said in a statement.
The military says it has killed some 1,300 rebels and 2,000 GAM members or sympathizers have been arrested or have surrendered since then.
In an unrelated development, hundreds of government soldiers besieged several villages in Simpang Ulim subdistrict, including Kuta Buloh village where RCTI TV station Fery Santoro and several hostages are being detained.