Rights workers told to join hands against all terror

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In the absence of legal protection and political will on the part of the government, human rights activists have been told to strengthen their solidarity against all forms of terror aimed at them.

"We should be aware of the difficult times in the years ahead. Therefore we should enhance our solidarity and urge the government to create a favorable atmosphere for rights protection," said Asmara Nababan, secretary-general of the National Commission on Human Rights.

Speaking at a panel discussion on the protection of human rights defenders on Thursday, Asmara reminded that Indonesia was among the countries that ratified the 1998 United Nations declaration on the protection of human rights activists.

He cited the second amendment of the 1945 Constitution, Article 28i, Paragraph 4, which says that the state, particularly the government, has the obligation to create a conducive atmosphere for human rights promotion and protection.

"When it comes to implementation, however, there is no law or regulation that provides adequate legal protection to human rights workers. We should push the justice and human rights ministry to create this legal basis," he added.

He said the attacks on the National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) office building and the assault on activists of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) in March were examples that rights workers remained vulnerable to violence.

Another speaker, Ifdhal Kasim of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), shared Asmara's doubt about the government's goodwill in protecting human rights defenders.

The UN declaration on the protection of human rights defenders recommends each nation to invite UN human rights rapporteurs to observe the respective country's track record in human rights.

"We told the government to invite the UN rights rapporteurs in 1998, but there has been no response. It shows that the government's commitment to upholding human rights is still questionable," he added.

According to Ifdhal, the government's reluctance was an indication that many human rights perpetrators still had access to power holders.

"It's true that the attacks on the Kontras office and UPC activists were conducted by civilians. But we also believe that powerful men were behind the incidents," Ifdhal added.

Responding to the call for solidarity among human rights workers, Ifdhal stressed the need to create a forum or a network that allowed human rights defenders to exchange views and discuss the difficulties they face.

"I think we need a kind of human rights defenders club, where we can discuss various issues, including a strategy to address threats, intimidation and other difficulties," Ifdhal said.

Tubagus Haryo Karbianto of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI), who also spoke at the discussion, suggested that rights activists pursue legal avenues in response to violence aimed at them.

"Class actions and trials are legal avenues rights activists can pursue if the state fails to create a good atmosphere for their jobs," he said, adding that the UN declaration was an adequate grounds with which to take legal action.