Rights body confirms murder of unarmed civilians in Bireuen

Rights body confirms murder of unarmed civilians in Bireuen

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said on
Friday that its team sent to Aceh had verified the May 21
incident at Matang Mamplan village in Bireuen, where seven
unarmed civilians were shot dead, including a boy aged 13.

The media reported that the military committed the murder, but
the military strongly denied the report, saying the victims were
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists.

However, the commission insisted that the killing was not
justified as the victims were unarmed.

"Without being further investigated, they were told to walk
and then shot one by one," said Zoemrotin K. Susilo, who read out
the team's report during a press conference.

She lashed out at the shooting, saying that "people who do not
have weapons should not be killed like that."

The commission's special team to monitor Aceh confirmed Komnas
Ham also confirmed that other rights abuses had taken place
during the first 25 days of the military operation in Aceh, and
feared more cases.

Team members visited Aceh between June 5 and June 9,

The rights body said that there were a number of rights
violations, including extrajudicial killing, arbitrary arrests,
torture and sexual harassment since martial law was imposed in
the province on May 19.

"We have verified the reports and we found out that rights
violations have occurred since the imposition of martial law,"
Zoemrotin said.

She also announced that there were cases of sexual harassment
of women in a village.

"There was a group of men who came to the village. They
claimed that they were searching for members of Inong Balee, the
women's military wing of GAM. They forced the women to open their
tops as they claimed Inong Balee members would have certain
tattoos on their breast.

"The victims said that the men wore "brown uniforms and green
vests reading Brimob", said Zoemrotin."

Brimob or the Police Mobile Brigade is the paramilitary wing
of the National Police.

The commission also confirmed that police in Aceh had
conducted arbitrary arrests of several activists and tortured
them.

During the press conference, M.M. Billah, who headed the fact-
fighting team, asserted that his team had obtained authentic
information from credible witnesses, including those who spoke of
the presence of military-trained militia groups.

"I shall state that we did not obtain information from the
trash can," said Billah, adding that the team could not publish
the names of witnesses or villages out of consideration for their
safety.

He was referring to Indonesia Military (TNI) chief Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto who accused the commission of publishing its
findings without rechecking with the military.

"From what trash can did they pick up the term 'militia'? They
should have known that the country has a doctrine of national
defense where people are empowered to defend themselves,"
Endriartono said.

During the conference Billah wore a black outfit and covered
his face with a black mask. He told reporters earlier that he
"has been told not to speak out loud."

The military has imposed several restrictions on journalists
and activists in Aceh in bid to support "the fight to protect the
motherland".

Billah earlier told reporters of the possible presence of
militia in Central Aceh and a mass grave in Nisam area in North
Aceh. He said on Friday that a member of the commission in Aceh
had reported the information and said that the team would verify
the report next week.