UN team observes RI jail conditions

UN team observes RI jail conditions

JAKARTA (JP): A four-member team of the UN Human Rights
Commission's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visited
Wednesday the Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta as part of
their mission to observe the conditions of jails and political
prisoners in the country.

Team leader Louis Joinet told The Jakarta Post that during the
three-hour visit to the prison they met with political prisoners
such as East Timorese independence fighter Jose Alexandre
"Xanana" Gusmao, chairman of the banned People's Democratic Party
Budiman Sudjatmiko and former members of the outlawed Indonesian
Communist Party. They also inquired about the legal process
leading to their arrests.

"Frankly speaking, we're satisfied with the general conditions
in the prison as we got all the information we needed and held
talks with political prisoners who are still serving their
sentences," Joinet said.

Members were Roberto Gareton, Marcus Smith and Osama. Joinet
and Gareton are two of five members of the United Nations Human
Rights Commission's working group.

Joinet said that their visit was the implementation of the
commitment by the Indonesian government in the UN Human Rights
meeting last year to allow the working group to observe the
conditions of jails and political prisoners here.

The working group had been refused by the former New Order
government to carry out such a mission following fierce
criticisms by the international community of the country's poor
human rights record.

Gareton said that the team, who arrived here on Sunday, has
met with a number of Indonesian officials in the course of their
inquiries into the conditions of political prisoners.

"We met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas on Monday
and Minister of Justice Muladi on Tuesday. Yesterday, we made a
visit to the City Police Headquarters and its detention center
while, today, Wednesday, we have paid a courtesy call to National
Police Chief Gen. Roesmanhadi and visited the Cipinang prison,"
he said.

The team was scheduled to leave for East Timor on Thursday to
visit political prisoners in the provincial capital of Dili and
Baucau before returning home on either Saturday or Sunday.

Joinet said that his team would disclose their findings both
to the government and the press before discussions by the UN
working group. The group would then make recommendations to the
UN Human Rights commission and to the Indonesian government.

Joinet, also France's Chief Justice, declined to reply to
questions on the team's closed meeting with Xanana, only saying
it was "very interesting." He insisted the team's mission was not
political but was aimed at observing the legal process attending
the political prisoners' cases and their living conditions.

"However, the most important thing I can say now is that we
are satisfied with President B.J. Habibie's government's openness
regarding any information we needed," he said.

Lawyer Hendardi, who accompanied Xanana in the latter's
meeting with the UN team, said Xanana had asked the team to press
the Indonesian government to release all East Timorese political
prisoners, including himself.

"Xanana and the other political prisoners in East Timor cannot
be treated as criminals because they have fought for East Timor's
independence and they should be released immediately," he said.

Xanana had also reiterated his pledge to help defuse tension
in the province and to protect pro-integration groups. (rms)