RI human rights worsen: Amnesty

RI human rights worsen: Amnesty

LONDON (AFP): The human rights situation deteriorated in Indonesia last year with killings and torture by the security forces undermining efforts to investigate past abuses, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.

"Positive initiatives, such as efforts to investigate some past violations of human rights, were outweighed by a marked deterioration in the human rights situation in areas such as (the provinces of) Aceh and Papua (Irian Jaya)," the London-based watchdog said in its annual report.

"Hundreds of extrajudicial executions were reported. 'Disappearances', torture and arbitrary detention were also widespread, particularly in areas of opposition to Indonesian rule," it said.

The country's first full year under a democratically elected government in 40 years was marred by economic problems, which fuelled social unrest.

"Against this background, the process of human rights reform suffered and repression was widely used by the police and military," it said.

Legal and judicial institutions in Indonesia were weak and, with political resistance, this obstructed investigations into past human rights violations.

This resulted in an "atmosphere of impunity" which undermined efforts to improve the human rights situation in the country, the report said.

In November 2000, legislation was adopted to establish Human Rights Courts, however "the independence of the judiciary continued to be undermined by corruption and by government interference."