Rights workers told to join hands against all terror

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.