Trial of past atrocities

The Minister of Law and Legislation is wrong (Human rights court won't try past atrocities, Nov. 23, 1999) if the proposed law or regulation only covers the establishment of a new court. So long as the charges against the accused are for crimes for which there are existing laws, then any court set up by the legislature can try them.

Most countries have statutes of limitations, usually applied to civil law cases, whereby a case may only be brought to court if it is within a stipulated period of the wrongful act. However, for murder, rape and other serious crimes against people, there is normally no time limit and evidence can be presented to a court even 20 years after the crime was committed.

Please, minister, do not try to give easy ways out for criminals. By their very name, human rights crimes are crimes against people. To allow those accused to escape the consequences of their crimes is to allow the resumption of the old status quo. There is absolutely no reason why the preamble to your new law/regulation cannot read that the court is being established to try all human rights crimes -- past, present and future. Please, no lawyers tricks!

W. WALLER

Cianjur, West Java