APSN | Komnas HAM seeks to question Prabowo over 1997 kidnappings

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Komnas HAM seeks to question Prabowo over 1997 kidnappings

Jakarta Globe - May 8, 2014

SBY too busy to talk rights – Jakarta Post. May 8, 2014
Prabowo must clarify statement on whereabouts of abducted activists – Kompas. May 6, 2014
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Poet's disappearance 16 years ago poses uncomfortable questions – Jakarta Globe. April 1, 2014
Indonesia urged to endorse anti-involuntary disappearance bill - Jakarta Post. January 16, 2014

Erwin Cristianson, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said on Wednesday that it would once again seek to question presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto over his alleged role in human rights abuses surrounding the fall of authoritarian president Suharto.

"We're now preparing a summons for [Prabowo]," Komnas HAM commissioner Otto Syamsuddin Ishak said.

Prabowo, founder of and presidential candidate for the the Great Indonesia Movement Party, or Gerindra, was a special forces commander under Suharto and has been criticized widely, at home and abroad, for human rights abuses committed by his troops in 1997, including the alleged kidnapping of 13 political activists who remain missing.

Former Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) chief of staff Kivlan Zen, who recently said that he knew where the missing 13 were killed and buried, reinvigorated the commission's interest in the events. The families of the missing have also urged the commission to reopen the case.

"It's true that we have set up a team and tomorrow we will issue an official letter to summon [Kivlan]," Komnas HAM commissioner M. Nurkhoirun said, without elaborating further.

He said the commission would focus on Kivlan, at least at first, because he had volunteered new information and had publicly agreed to appear for questioning.

Prabowo would not face questioning before the July 9 presidential election, Nurkhoirun said. "[We will question them] one by one," he said. "We don't want to... jeopardize the presidential election."

Kivlan has said that Prabowo was not involved in human rights abuses and has characterized the military's actions as security measures to safeguard the 1997 elections and 1998 People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) general meeting. He has denied kidnapping accusations.

He said that he was ready to discuss the events with a government panel or forum. "We appreciate Pak Kivlan for giving information on who is the most responsible party behind the missing people case and erasing the notion of the state's impunity," Otto said.

Indonesia Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial) executive director Poengki Indarti urged Komnas HAM to summon Prabowo swiftly.

"It's okay if Komnas wants to question Kivlan first, but they have to call Prabowo as soon as possible because Komnas' investigation has named him a suspect," Poengki said. The commission tried to question Prabowo during an investigation that ran from 1997 to 2002, but he refused to appear.

"I think a president should protect human rights. A leader should not be linked in any offense against human rights or the law," Komnas HAM official Roichatul Aswidah told the Jakarta Globe in May of 2013.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/komnas-ham-seeks-question-prabowo-1997-kidnappings/.