- Antara/ Dhoni Setiawan
VIVAnews - Member of Amnesty International, Josef Benedict, urged the Indonesian government to solve missing persons cases that occurred at the end of the Suharto administration in 1998. Benedict said the whereabouts of 13 activists are so far still unknown.
"Amnesty International called on the Indonesian President to conduct a thorough investigation over a dozen enforced disappearances of Indonesian activists in 1998," said Josef, Amnesty International’s Timor Leste and Indonesia campaigner, on Wednesday.
Josef called on the Indonesian government to prosecute the perpetrators of the kidnapping in an independent judiciary which meets the international standards of justice. "Amnesty International also called on the president to ensure the recovery and compensation for all victims of enforced disappearance and their families," he said.
Josef said, there are five people who become victims of enforced disappearances in 1997. Meanwhile, eight people were enforced to disappear during the political crisis in early 1998. "Nine other people were arrested and tortured by the military. When they were under captivation, they had no communication with the outside world, being in the military facility in Jakarta in 1998," he said.
"Then they were released and have confirmed at least six missing activists were detained in the same facility."
According to him, in 2007, the Indonesian House of Representatives had established a special committee to respond to the report of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in 2006. On September 30, 2009, the House recommended the president of Indonesia establishes an ad hoc human rights court to prosecute the perpetrators of the abduction.
"Two years later, the recommendation had not been executed properly. Although the Indonesian government has expressed its intention to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Forced Disappearance, and signed the agreement in September 2010, none of the other recommendations has been executed," said Josef.
"Those responsible have not been brought to justice and the victims' families continued being denied the opportunity to unveil the truth."
"The failure to follow up the recommendations issued on September 30, 2009 also helped perpetuate human rights abuses and impunity environment in Indonesia," Josef went on saying.
He added that the investigation which was started in August 1998 shows the military was involved in the kidnapping of nine people. However, for the kidnapping of 13 others no military involvement was found. "There is no documents from the investigation that is opened to the public," he said.
"The case of the 13 victims was attached to the long history of enforced disappearances in Indonesia and the occupation of Timor-Leste in 1975 to 1999."
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Coverage by: Banjir Ambarita | Papua
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