Rights body announces findings

JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights said the recent attack on East Java churches was not fueled by religious hatred but instigated by "irresponsible persons."

The commission, however, will leave it to the government to determine the identities of the instigators, according to commission member A.A. Baramuli.

"Such investigation reaches beyond the commission's authority," he said.

The commission was announcing the results of its investigations into a number of rights violation cases, including the attack by locals on the churches in the predominantly Moslem East Java town of Situbondo, during which five people died.

The commission also investigated the violent deaths of Yogyakarta-based journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin and robbery suspect in Bogor, Tjetje Tadjudin.

Yesterday, Baramuli said the conclusion was reached after interviewing Christian and Moslem leaders, as well local government officials.

"All of the religious leaders interviewed had expressed great bewilderment about how the riots could have erupted in their community where everybody had enjoyed harmonious inter-religious living for more than 50 years," Baramuli said.

He pointed out that the violence started after unidentified people told an angry mob that Saleh, a local standing trial for blasphemy, was hiding in a church.

"The commission found it wasn't true that Saleh was hidden in a church, and we did not find any indications that Moslems had planned the attacks on other houses of worship," he said.

When asked whether the riots were meant to hurt a certain religious group, Baramuli said: "It will be up to the government to prove and decide whether it was so."

Attending the plenary session of the commission yesterday were chairman Munawir Sjadzali, secretary general Baharuddin Lopa, Clementino dos Reis Amaral, Miriam Budiardjo, Nurcholish Madjid, Asmara Nababan, Bambang W. Soeharto, Muladi, Marzuki Darusman, Aisjah Amini, Sutandyo Wignjosoebroto, Satjipto Rahardjo, Soegiri, Albert Hasibuan, and Djoko Soegianto. (26/jun)