APSN | Komnas HAM pushes for human rights tribunal

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Komnas HAM pushes for human rights tribunal

Jakarta Post - June 20, 2014

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Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) will meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to push for the establishment of an ad hoc human rights tribunal to hear cases of gross human rights violations that took place during the May 1998 riots.

Roichatul Aswidah, the leader of the Komnas HAM team pursuing the matter, said that the government could no longer wait to respond to a 2009 recommendation by the House of Representatives to establish the ad hoc rights tribunal after years of negligence.

"It's time to set up an ad hoc human rights tribunal to hear the cases of human rights violations surrounding the May riots as was recommended by the House in 2009. Komnas HAM has been endorsing this for years but to no avail" Roichatul told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"The current political situation is the effect of years of negligence of such recommendation by state institutions tasked to solve cases of human rights," she added.

Roichatul was referring to the suspected politicization of the 1998 May riots cases, which Komnas HAM has declared gross human rights violations, due to the alleged role of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in the kidnappig of pro-democracy activists.

A report published by Komnas HAM in 2003 alleged that Prabowo, then commander of the Army's notorious Special Forces (Kopassus), was responsible for gross human rights violations that occurred during the extensive rioting in Jakarta in 1998, which preceded the end of former president Soeharto's long regime.

In a televised presidential debate, Prabowo said, in a response to a question by vice presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla, that he had done his duty and later challenged Kalla to ask the former's superiors about what happened.

Wiranto, then chief commander of the Indonesian Military, confirmed Prabowo's role in kidnapping pro-democracy activists during the riots.

"We will meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to press further for the establishment of the ad hoc rights tribunal because the President is the only person who can make it possible," Roichatul said.

According to Article 43 of the 2000 Law on Human Rights, an ad hoc human rights tribunal can be set up by a recommendation by the House and a decree by the President.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/20/komnas-ham-pushes-human-rights-tribunal.html.