Indonesia to settle past serious human rights violations by May

Humanrightsactivists,victimsandfamiliesofvictimsofpasthumanrightsabusecasesheldKamisan,orweeklysilentprotestonThursday,acrossfromtheStatePalaceinCentralJakartaonJan.21.(Kompas.com)

(THEJAKARTAPOST)ThegovernmentaimstosettlepastserioushumanrightsviolationcasesbyearlyMaythroughreconcilition,orthroughanonjudicialprocess,despitecriticismbyhumanrightsgroupsandthefamiliesofvictims.

Atleastsixmajorhumanrightsviolationsnamelythe1965communistpurge,the1989TalangsariincidentinCentralLampung,the2001and2003WamenaandWasiorincidentsinPapua,variouskidnappingsandunresolvedshootingsinthe1980s,theMay1998riotsandthedisappereancesofactivistswouldbesettledbyMay2,CoordinatingMinisterforPolitics,LegalandSecurityAffairsLuhutPandjaitansaidonThursday.

Thesettlementwillbeconductedthroughreconciliationasthegovernmentfacedhurdlesinsettlingthemthroughthelegalprocess.

"Howdowefindtheevidence?Ichallenge,ifthereisanyonewhocanbringevidenceofwhomtheywanttobepunishedjustbringittous.Wewilltakethemtocourt.Wehavesearchedforevidencebutwecouldnotfindit,thereforewe'lltakeittoanon-judicialsettlement,"hesaidasquotedbykompas.comaddingthatthegovernmentwouldalsoupholdtherightsofvictimsandtheirfamilies.

ScoresofvictimsandthefamiliesofpasthumanrightsabusesfromtheVictimsSolidarityNetworkforJustice(JSKK)andtheCommissionforMissingPersonsandVictimsofViolence(Kontras)heldtheir435thKamisanacrossfromtheStatePalaceonThursday.KamisanisaweeklysilentprotestheldeveryThursdaybyhumanrightsactivists,victimsandfamiliestodemandthatthegovernmentresolvepasthumanrightsabusecases.

FeriKusuma,anactivistfromKontras,saidthatthegroupsweredisappointedthatthegovernment'sfinaleffortonthepasthumanrightsabusecaseswouldbereconciliationwithouttakingtheperpetratorstocourt.

Suchasettlementwouldonlyperpetuatetheimpunityoftheperpetrators.ThegroupshadreceivedaletterfromtheAttorneyGeneral'sOffice(AGO)sayingthatitwasdifficulttobringthecasestocourtduetoalackofevidanceandmostoftheperpetratorsandvictimshavingpassedaway,hesaid.

Kontrasalsoquestionedthegoverment'sstatementonalackofevidenceastheAGOhadnotevenstartedinvestigationsaspartofitsobligationtocompletetheinvestigationfilescompiledbythetheNationalCommissionforHumanRights(KomnasHAM).

Thelegalprocesswasneeded,Ferisaid,asitwouldserveasarevelationofthetruthforthevictimsandtheirfamiliesbeforemovingtoreconciliationefforts.

MemberofJSKKMariaKatarinaSumarsihdemandedthatPresidentJoko"Jokowi"Widodokeephispromisetosettlepasthumanrightsabusesanderasetheimpunityoftheperpetrators.

Sumarsih,whosesonBernardusRealinoNormaIrmawandiedduringtheSemanggiItragedyin1998,askedJokowitoissueapresidentialdecreetopushtheAGOtoinvestigatethepasthumanrightsviolationsandbringtheperpetratorstocourt.

"Mr.President,reconciliationwithoutalegalprocessisimpunity.Asastatethatupholdsthelaw,thegovernmentmustberesponsiveincarryingoutitscommitmentbyreferringtotheHumanRightsCourtLaw,"shetoldkompas.com.