Rights body announces findings

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)