- Asian Human Rights Commission
Three Indonesian soldiers accused of torturing two men from the restive eastern region of Papua have gone on trial for the relatively minor charges of disobeying orders, prosecutors said Friday.
A video circulated widely on the Internet late last year showed security forces burning the genitals of one suspected separatist and running a knife across the neck of another, sparking an international outcry.
In a rare acknowledgment of military abuses, the Indonesian government issued a statement soon after, promising justice would be served.
But in a military tribunal that started Thursday in the Papuan capital of Jayapura, the three soldiers captured on video were slapped with the relatively minor charge of disobeying orders, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 months in prison.
Prosecutors said the men escaped more serious charges because - aside from the video - there was no physical evidence of wrongdoing and the two Papuan victims refused to submit statements to the court.
Human rights activists called the tribunal a sham, while the United States urged the Indonesian government to honor its commitment to investigate and prosecute abuses by its troops.
Haris Azhar, chairman of the Jakarta-based Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, said it showed that allegations of military abuse were once again being whitewashed.
"How is this fair?" he asked. "As far as we can tell, there wasn't even an investigation."
"This process will serve no justice at all for the victims," Azhar said, adding that the victims were afraid to testify because there was no guarantee they would be protected.
The tribunal was adjourned Thursday until next week.
Indonesia, a nation of more than 237 million people, has made tremendous strides toward democracy since former dictator Suharto was ousted just over a decade ago, but it remains highly sensitive to ongoing separatist struggles in Papua and the Molucca islands.
Security forces are accused of abusing both civilians and suspected "freedom fighters."
The United States, which last year lifted a decade-old ban on military assistance to a notoriously violent Indonesian commando unit, promised Thursday to closely monitor the trials.
U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said it would hold Indonesia to its commitments to investigate rights abuses and take legal action.
Indonesia took over Papua from the Dutch in 1963 and formalized its sovereignty six years later through a stage-managed vote by about 1,000 community leaders.
Human rights groups say more than 100,000 people - a fifth of the impoverished province's population - have died as result of military action.
--
By Irwan Firdaus
Associated Press
Usai Memilih Mualaf, Davina Karamoy Belum Siap Kenakan Hijab
Davina Karamoy mengungkapkan bahwa dia belum merasa mantap untuk mengenakan hijab, meskipun dia sudah menjadi mualaf sejak masa SMA, tapi belum memilih berhijab.
