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."