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Indonesia: Security Forces forcibly terminated Workshop on 1965 massacre
Asian Human Rights Commission Urgent Appeal - August 14, 2017
14 August 2017
Dear Friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the committee of International People's Tribunal (IPT) in Klender, East Jakarta city, Jakarta, Indonesia. It relates to a forced termination of a Workshop by Police Officers, Military Personnel, a village head and thugs. They accused the committee and participants of disseminating Communist and Marxist ideology. They demanded that the committee have an official permit to organize such an event. According to Law No. 9 of 1998 concerning Freedom of Expression and Opinion in public areas, it is regulated and requires an official permit for a public event. Of note is: for a non-public event (an indoor event such as a workshop) no need of an official permit. It is obvious then that the Police and the Military misinterpreted the Law.
Case narrative:
On August 1, 2017, an association of victims and their families of the 1965-1966 Massacre and human rights activists, organized a workshop. It concerned the results of the International People's Tribunal 1965 in Klender, East Jakarta city. Unexpectedly the workshop was suddenly interrupted by police officers of East Jakarta Police Resort (Polres Jakarta Timur), military personnel of Military sub-district command (Koramil), a village head and thugs. They demanded the Committee stop the Workshop. They accused it of discussing Communist and Marxist ideology. They pointed out that the committee did not have a permit to organize the workshop.
Besides forcibly closing down the workshop, they also intimidated the owner of the Guest House, where the workshop took place. Police officers and military personnel intimidated and illegally examined the participants, mostly coming from other Provinces. They demanded the participants produce their invitation cards and the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the workshop. When some participants questioned who had reported the workshop to the police and the military, Law Enforcement became agitated. They said it was a secret. There was no need to name the person who reported the workshop to the police and the military.
According to Suara.Com, independent media made the following remarks. Police and the Military frequently engineer forced dissolutions against public discussions, movie screenings and cultural exhibitions concerning the Massacre of 1965-1966. Previously, in a series of public events related to the judgment of the International People's Tribunal 1965, public discussions and exhibitions in some Universities were forcibly broken up by police and military.
Take for example, the event in Ambon, Moluccas Province held between 18-19 March 2017. The event was forcibly terminated and organizers intimidated by the police. Again, on March 31, the Dean of the Law School of Pahrahyangan University in Bandung, West Java province, organized a seminar and suffered police intimidation as a result. Similar cases of forced dissolutions took place in Surabaya, East Java Province and Yogyakarta Province between April and May 2017.
Suggested action:
Please write to the authorities listed below. Ask them to ensure that the Government guarantees the rights to freedom of expression and opinion, freedom of peaceful assembly. These are regulated by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), of which Indonesia is a State party. The Chief of National Police and the Chief Police of Jakarta Metropolitan Police Office (Kapolda Metro Jaya) and the National Military Commander must promptly investigate, without undue delay, allegations of abuse of power.
The AHRC will write a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression calling for his intervention into this matter.
To support this case, please click here: http://www.urgentappeals.net/support.php?ua=AHRC-UAC-116-2017
Sample letter:
Dear ....................,
Indonesia: Security Forces forcibly terminated Workshop on 1965 massacre
On August 1, 2017, an association of victims and their families of the 1965-1966 Massacre and human rights activists, organized a workshop. It concerned the results of the International People's Tribunal (IPT) 1965 in Klender, East Jakarta city. Unexpectedly the workshop was suddenly interrupted by police officers of East Jakarta Police Resort (Polres Jakarta Timur), military personnel of Military sub-district command (Koramil), a village head and thugs. They demanded the Committee stop the Workshop. They accused it of discussing Communist and Marxist ideology. They pointed out that the committee did not have a permit to organize the workshop.
Besides forcibly closing down the workshop, they also intimidated the owner of the Guest House, where the workshop took place. Police officers and military personnel intimidated and illegally examined the participants, mostly coming from other Provinces. They demanded the participants produce their invitation cards and the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the workshop. When some participants questioned who had reported the workshop to the police and the military, Law Enforcement became agitated. They said it was a secret. There was no need to name the person who reported the workshop to the police and the military.
According to Suara.Com, independent media made the following remarks. Police and the Military frequently engineer forced dissolutions against public discussions, movie screenings and cultural exhibitions concerning the Massacre of 1965-1966. Previously, in a series of public events related to the judgment of the International People's Tribunal 1965, public discussions and exhibitions in some Universities were forcibly broken up by police and military.
Take for example, the event in Ambon, Moluccas Province held between 18-19 March 2017. The event was forcibly terminated and organizers intimidated by the police. Again, on March 31, the Dean of the Law School of Pahrahyangan University in Bandung, West Java province, organized a seminar and suffered police intimidation as a result. Similar cases of forced dissolutions took place in Surabaya, East Java Province and Yogyakarta Province between April and May 2017.
Therefore, I respectfully request you to ensure that the Government guarantees the right to freedom of expression and opinion as well as the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, as regulated by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Indonesia is a State party to the Covenant. The Chief of National Police and the Chief Police of Jakarta Metropolitan Police Office (Kapolda Metro Jaya) along with the National Military Commander must ensure that allegations of abuse of power are promptly investigated.
I look forward to your prompt action in this matter.
Yours Sincerely,
...................
Please send your letters to:
1. Mr. Joko Widodo
President of
the Republic of Indonesia
Jl. Veteran No.
16
Jakarta Pusat
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 3458
595
Fax: +62 21 3484
4759
E-mail: webmaster@setneg.go.id
2. Mr. Yasonna
Laoly
Minister of Law
and Human Rights
Jl. HR Rasuna
Said Kav. 6 7
Kuningan, Jakarta
12940
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 525
3006, 525 3889
Fax: +62 21 525
3095
3. Dr. Mualimin
Abdi SH., MH
Director General
of Human Rights
Office of the
Director General of Human Rights
Jl. HR Rasuna
Said Kav. 6 7
Kuningan, Jakarta
12940
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 5253006
Fax: +62 21 5253095
4. General Gatot
Nurmantyo
Chief of Indonesian
Military
Mabes TNI Cilangkap
Jakarta Timur
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 84595576,
+62 21 8459-5326
Fax: + 62 21
84591193
Email: ppidtni@puspen.tni.mil.id
5. General Pol.
Drs. H.M. Tito Karnavian, M.A., Ph.D
Chief of National
Police (KAPOLRI)
Jl. Trunojoyo
No. 3 KebayoranBaru, Jakarta Selatan 12110
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 384
8537, 726 0306
Fax: +62 21 7220
669
E-mail: info@polri.go.id
6. Police Inspector
General Idham Azis
The chief of
the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Command
Kapolda Metro
Jaya
Jalan Jenderal
Sudirman Kav. 55, Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta 12190,
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 5234000
Fax: +62 21 5709250
Email: bidhumas@metro.polri.go.id,
humas.pmj@gmail.com
7. Ms. Poengky
Indarti
Commissioner
of the National Police Commission
Jl. Tirtayasa
VII No. 20
KebayoranBaru,
Jakarta Selatan
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 739
2315
Fax: +62 21 739
2352
E-mail: secretariat@kompolnas.go.id,
skm@kompolnas.go.id
9. H. Bambang
Soesatyo, S.E., M.B.A
Chairperson of
the Commission III of The House of Representative
KetuaKomisi III
DPR RI
Gedung Nusantara
II DPR RI, Lt I
JalanJenderalGatotSubroto,
Jakarta,
INDONESIA
Telp: +62 21 -5715566,
+62 21-5715569, +62 21-5715864
Fax: +62 21 5715566
10. Mr. Abdul
Haris Semendawai
Chairperson of
the Agency for Victims and Witness Protection
Lembaga Perlindungan
Saksi dan Korban (LPSK)
Jalan Raya Bogor
KM. 24 No. 47-49, Susukan, Ciracas, RT.6/RW.1, Susukan, Ciracas, Kota Jakarta
Timur, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 13750
Tel: +62 21 29681560
Fax: +62 21 29681551/+62
21 29681557
11. Mr. Nur Kholis
Chairperson of
the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM)
Jl. Latuharhary
No. 4-B
Jakarta 10310
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 392
5227-30
Fax: +62 21 392
5227
E-mail: info@komnas.go.id
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals
Programme
Asian Human Rights
Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
Source: http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-116-2017.
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