Rufriadi weeps over justice in Aceh

Rufriadi weeps over justice in Aceh

It was still fresh in the mind of Rufriadi, 28, when a number
of uniformed members of the security apparatus raided his Legal
Aid Institute (LBH) office in Aceh earlier this year. "We were
all told to take off our clothes and crawl to an old truck," he
said, smiling bitterly.

Of the 15 people nabbed, only Rufriadi was not a university
student. "When they hit me, I had a relapse of my asthma. I
slumped in a corner and had to be carried by some friends."

Rude treatment did not daunt this man with sweet dark skin and
a pair of dimples. "Instead, I became more enthusiastic,
especially because the LBH staff gave him enough support," said
Rufriadi, the coordinator of the Banda Aceh LBH.

He affirmed that enforcing the law in violence-fraught Aceh, a
province also called the Verandah of Mecca, was not as easy as
waving your hand or as beautiful as the dreams of deep slumber.
Even his LBH office, which is of course a legitimate body, has
often been a subject of intimidation and searches by security
forces.

So frequently has he been subjected to intimidation and
searches that he no longer knows whether or not these acts are
terror. The military, for example, often reminds him, in a very
direct way, that he should not try to do too much.

Rufriadi was appointed the coordinator of Aceh LBH for the
2000 - 2002 period. Since his appointment as coordinator, he has
always busied himself with legal problems.

Born in Sabang, a small island north of Banda Aceh, on
February 10, 1973 as the first of five siblings, he has nurtured
an ambition as a lawyer since he was a child. "I often saw Indian
films and was obsessed by them," he said, chuckling.

His desire to become a lawyer became stronger when his parents
were cheated in a land case. "Actually, we were totally in the
right, but we lost because we knew little about the law," he
said, apparently lost in thought.

In 1991, he entered the School of Law at Andalas University
and just before finishing his studies there, he joined LBH Kistan
Bukit Tinggi as an apprentice and stayed there for 3 years. It
was at that office that he learned how to provide legal
assistance to victims. He really felt a sense of purpose in that.
"I really felt I could apply what I had studied," he said.

In 1997, he completed his studies and returned to Banda Aceh.
LBH Banda Aceh accepted him as a volunteer. When he started his
work there, he said he was surprised to find that legal problems
in Aceh turned out to be "more" horrible than what he faced when
he was an apprentice in Bukit Tinggi, where he used to deal with
land appropriation and police-related cases. In Banda Aceh, he
suddenly had to deal with the military.

"I was asked to visit a military agency alone to find out
whether it was true that so-and-so was detained there. At first I
trembled as I was afraid I would be shot. Over time, I became
accustomed to such visits," he said, reminiscing.

He was a volunteer for three years and then was appointed
coordinator in the same institution. As coordinator, he has
handled a variety of cases. Most of these cases are related to
missing persons. Then he has dealt with cases related to shooting
and burned houses and has of late acted as the attorney of KMBK
GAM team of negotiators arrested in 2002 and also of the case
involving two aliens now being tried in Banda Aceh.

His LBH has always dealt with missing persons. Almost every
day there are new cases related to missing persons. In all there
are hundreds of them. If the victims are detained in authorized
government agencies, the LBH will check there. Although checking
will take 45 days, their rate of success reaches 80 percent.

"My hat's off to the families of the victims. They won't
complain if the victims are really guilty and then legally
processed," he said. "This means that these people possess better
legal awareness than law enforcers."

On the average, the cases he has handled are concerned with
offenses in accordance with Indonesian law. For example, someone
suspected as a member of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and
allegedly involved in a bomb blast. "To place a bomb is an
offense but we defend him not on the basis of whether he is
guilty or not," he said seriously. Most importantly, he added, is
whether or not the rights of the victim are honored. Is the
victim tortured or not? Can he meet his family? Is there a legal
counsel accompanying him?

Rufriadi does not earn a lot of money even though LBH handles
hundreds of cases, but he is content with the work and able to
support himself financially. "I get a salary from YLBHI and this
is just enough," he said, honestly.

His salary is Rp 1.3 million a month. He spends most of that
on his telephone bill, and the installments for his motorcycle
and a modest house. Of course, Rufriadi has taken into account
this condition since he decided to choose law as his profession.

Sometimes he has to spend extra money if he has to go to
remote areas to see his clients while the LBH has no money to
reimburse for such trips.

Luckily, his beloved wife, Aida Fitriani (28) works in a
private company. "Otherwise, we would always be cash-strapped,"
he said, laughing heartily.

Rufriadi got married in 2000, and his wife is 3 months
pregnant now with their first child.

As a coordinator of LBH, Rufriadi is well aware of the risks
of his position, especially now that there is a lack of judges
and courts in Aceh. "In Banda Aceh alone there are only a handful
of judges. How can they handle so many cases in a proper way?"
wondered Rufriadi.

He said he praised Judge Nursyan for staying at his post in
Banda Aceh court. "The others have fled for safety," he said,
smiling.

In his opinion, there are two main issues hindering law
enforcement. "Our law enforcers (police, courts) are still
dominated or intimidated by the military and our legal
instruments are outdated," he said. In fact, the community longs
to see humanistic and hospitable policemen. "Anyway, policemen
are civilians. What we need are hospitable policemen with a good
grasp of the law."

As the situation in Aceh is worsening, the policemen on their
beat are increasingly those with only counter-insurgency
training.

He said he often shed tears over the system of justice in
Aceh. He said he worked hard to study the proper principles of
the law but in actual application, it was totally different.
"Sometimes it occurs to me whether I can be a lawyer in this
environment," he noted.

However, he still enjoys some consolation from the support and
response given by the public. "That's when I am heartened and
believe that the Acehnese really need a legal aid institution,"
he said seriously.

Given the present condition of Aceh, he said he had a bigger
desire to stay, particularly because of the need of the public to
get proper justice. "Even if I retire from my present position, I
will stay here as a lawyer," he said.

His resolve to defend the interests of the Acehnese has earned
him praise from his colleagues from other non-governmental
organizations or his subordinates at his office.

"Honestly, we in the LBH office admit that he (Rufriadi) is a
fitting role model. He is an idealist wishing to defend the civil
rights of the public," said Afrizal Darmi, a staff member of LBH
Aceh.

He also said that despite police searches, the relationship
between LBH Aceh and the provincial police still existed.

Risman A. Rahman, coordinator of non-governmental
organizations focusing on human rights in Aceh also said similar
things. "He is indefatigable. He works hard and fears nothing.
For us, Rufriadi is a good colleague. In many NGO forums, he
often serves as our spokesperson. Aceh needs people like him."