RI to adopt convention on torture soon

RI to adopt convention on torture soon

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman promised
yesterday that Indonesia would soon ratify the United Nations
(UN) convention against torture in order to end the practice of
using violence during criminal investigations.

"It is not that we do not want to ratify the UN Convention, it
is just that there are still some technicalities to address. All
in all, in principle, we are going to ratify the convention," he
said.

One of the "technicality problems" is that many agencies and
personnel are not yet ready to implement the 1984 UN Convention
Against Torture or Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment.

"We keep on working to meet the standard," he said, reported
Antara.

Although Indonesia has yet to ratify the Convention, its
Criminal Code already contains provisions for the protection of
suspects' rights, said Oetojo.

"The Criminal Code contains the substance of the UN
Convention," he said.

The 1985 law on correctional institutions has provisions on
protecting an individuals right to life, which are in accordance
with international legal standards, he said.

Oetojo was commenting on the uproar over the recent death of
Tjetje Tadjudin, a robbery suspect, who allegedly died from
police torture.

The National Commission on Human Rights have sent an
investigation team to probe the allegations of torture following
growing criticism that many incidents of security forces
torturing suspects have gone unheeded because the government has
yet to ratify the UN Convention.

"Tjetje should not be dead. Whoever conducted the
interrogation should not have overstepped his authority," Oetojo
said.

Oetojo said Tjetje's death should be investigated first. "If
investigations conclude that Tjetje died from torture, the
perpetrator should then be prosecuted," he said.

"Criminal suspect protection provisions must be upheld.
Whatever the reason for using violence, be it to obtain a
suspect's admission of guilt or to get information from a
witness, it can not be condoned," he said.

"However, I do not agree with suggestions that use of physical
violence has been a common practice in our country, in fact our
law enforcement officers are becoming more and more professional.
It is just the image that the mass media has created as a result
of their wide exposure," he said.

National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo had earlier
expressed his concern over Tjetje's death. The police officer in
charge of the interrogation, First Lt. DT, should be held
accountable for the death but so are his superiors, he said.

He said over the weekend, that Tjetje was tortured as a
consequence of lax supervision.

Yesterday, Dibyo cut short his European tour and returned to
Jakarta.

No official statement has been issued about the three-star
general's sudden change of plan, but staff who accompanied him on
the trip said that Dibyo had been ordered to come home
immediately.

"The chief has something to do in Jakarta," coordinator for
Dibyo's personal secretaries, Col. Aryanto Sutadi, told The
Jakarta Post in London.

Dibyo, and high-ranking officers, had been scheduled to pay
courtesy calls on their foreign counterparts, and to visit
factories producing police equipment in Madrid in Spain and the
German cities, Frankfurt and Bonn.

The official visit to the two countries would not be delayed
but the delegates had been changed due to the unexpectedly hasty
decision, Aryanto said.

Dibyo has returned, but the other officers -- Gen. (ret)
Awaloedin Djamin, former chief of the National Police and now an
advisor to Dibyo, Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata,
national police director for logistics Brig. Gen. Suseno and
secretary of the Indonesian Central Bureau Interpol Brig. Gen.
Ahwil Lutan -- would continue the visit.

Prior to leaving London, Dibyo and his group visited the trial
field and factory of Glover Webb Ltd., a company which produces a
variety of police and military equipment to Indonesia. (26/bsr)