Pius may report rights abuse to UN: Marzuki

JAKARTA (JP): Political activist Pius Lustrilanang may report his abduction and the abuse he received at the hands of his abductors to the United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights, which may prompt the body to issue a resolution against Indonesia, according to human rights campaigners.

Deputy chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights Marzuki Darusman told The Jakarta Post and Kompas yesterday that UN Resolution 1503 enabled individuals to report human rights abuses.

"There are indications that Pius intends to report the incident to the UN Commission on Human Rights," Marzuki said at his office. "We have to start to get used to the notion and accept the reality that human rights has become a global matter."

An individual should not report a case of rights abuse if existing national mechanisms were capable of solving the problem in a just manner, he added.

Should existing mechanisms for human rights protection fail to work, however, every citizen is free to go to international institutions to seek political and legal solutions to their problems, Marzuki said.

If the UN body accepted Pius' report, it could issue a resolution -- an evaluation of a country's rights record -- against Indonesia, Marzuki added.

"Unlike chairman's statements, a resolution is non- negotiable," Marzuki said, adding that the country's poor human rights record would then be widely circulated to countries and international institutions.

Pius, 30, testified before the commission on Monday that he was abducted at gunpoint by a gang of unidentified men.

The secretary-general of SIAGA, a loose association of supporters of government critics Megawati Soekarnoputri and Amien Rais, said he was detained in a windowless cell for almost two months, kept blindfolded and handcuffed, and often beaten and kicked during interrogation over his activities.

Pius, who said he risked death by telling the commission about his ordeal, has since left for the Netherlands.

Marzuki said Pius should not be branded "unpatriotic" should he report the abuse to the UN commission.

Pius' lawyer, Hendardi, said on Wednesday that Pius was not going to "sell" his own country to the international world.

"He is just trying to tell the world about what really happened," said Hendardi, who is the executive director of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association.

Pius said in Amsterdam that he hoped to build up international pressure against the government.

"I want to campaign for international sympathy for my case and stop the kidnappings and illegal detentions that are going on," Pius was quoted by AP as saying yesterday.

Pius plans to visit the European Parliament today, before launching a tour of European capitals to plead his case. He plans to meet with leaders and human rights groups in Paris, London, Ireland and Bonn, Germany, and will testify before the U.S. Congress on May 15.

"I believe the struggle of Indonesia's pro-democratic element will succeed," Pius said. "I love my country and I want to go back."

Investigation

Reza Muharam, a leader of the Indonesian Democratic Opposition Network, which organized Pius' indefinite stay in the Netherlands, said his group won't rest "until the government launch a full investigation."

Separately yesterday, Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief Gen. Wiranto said that ABRI have set up a team to investigate the cases of the missing persons and determine whether any members of the military had been involved in the disappearances.

The team includes the chief of the military police, the assistant for security and social order, and the assistant for intelligence of the Armed Forces.

Wiranto reiterated that there was never any instruction or policy in the Armed Forces to abduct people.

Also yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas rejected speculation that the government or military were involved in the disappearances.

The rights commission said Thursday that the abductions were carried out by an organized group and acknowledged there was a growing opinion among members of the public that there was a possibility the state security apparatus were involved in the abductions.

Separately, Haryanto Taslam, a politician who returned recently after missing for several weeks, said he would reveal what happened during his disappearance if the safety of him and his family could be guaranteed.

At present, he did not think anybody could offer such a guarantee, he added. Haryanto is the deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction which remains loyal to the ousted leader Megawati Soekarnoputri.

He acknowledged that some parties, including the media, were disappointed by his silence.

Haryanto maintained that his "disappearance" was due to his political activities. (byg/prb/imn/edt)