Rights commission urged to submit report to AGO

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Human rights activists urged the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to let the Attorney General's Office start probing the Trisakti and Semanggi killings to end the polemics over its inquiry into the cases.

The Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) said on Tuesday that Komnas HAM should immediately submit its inquiry report that identified the military and police officers involved in the 1998/1999 killings to the Office.

"The longer the report stays with Komnas HAM, the more likely the commission would be a lame duck for those who are not happy with the efforts to unravel human rights crimes," YLBHI civil and political division head Munarman told The Jakarta Post.

Munir, co-founder of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence said that the inquiry report, which was completed on March 21, was substantial enough to prove that gross human rights violations had been committed.

The polemics hover around allegations by the police and military institutions that Komnas HAM inquiry is unlawful because its membership had expired last September according to a 1999 law on the commission.

The inquiry demanded that 50 high and middle-ranking military and police officers, believed to be involved in the killings of dozens of people including protesting students, be charged with crimes against humanity.

It concluded that the incidents occurred "for the sake of political interests".

Komnas HAM secretary-general Asmara Nababan said that the commission planned to hold its plenary meeting on Thursday next week.

Nababan foresaw two possible outcomes: the inquiry report would be accepted and handed to the Attorney General's Office or Komnas HAM would resummon security officers to complete it.

In last week's session, the House underlined that Komnas HAM had no right to conduct the inquiry, arguing that the legislators had earlier decided that no rights violations had been found in the cases.

But the rights activists challenged the stance of the House, pointing out that the legislators had crossed their line of authority by transforming a hearing into a court trial to decide whether the Trisakti and Semanggi cases were gross human rights violations.