Despite her age, the frail Pujiati has never missed a single Kamisan — a weekly silent demonstration that scores of human rights victims and relatives of missing persons stage every Thursday at the same place.

Today, Pujiati and other activists will conduct their Kamisan for the 200th time — and this, she said, will not be the last.

“I was imprisoned without trial for 14 years. I shall be tireless in pursing this goal. I won’t quit until I see justice,” she said when asked whether she was concerned about her health.

Pujiati, born in Purworejo, Central Java, was imprisoned by authorities for her role as a member of a labor union in Jakarta in 1965. She lives with other 1965 victims in a nursing house in Central Jakarta.

Kamisan, taken from Kamis, the Indonesian word for Thursday, has become a symbol of a relentless struggle to uphold human rights. The participants, who dress in black and hold black umbrellas, stand in front of the Palace from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Together they hold large black banners with messages like, “Investigate the perpetrators of the 1998 incident!” “SBY, don’t stay quiet”, referring to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and “No peace without justice”.

Unlike the usual rowdy and noisy street demonstrations typical of post-Soeharto Indonesia, these protesters are unerringly silent.

“Black represents the gloom of this country in terms of human rights. The umbrella carries the message that our right to stage this rally is protected by the Constitution,” said Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence member Yati Andriani.

Another regular participant of the Kamisan rallies is Maria Catarina Sumarsih, mother of Bernardus Realino Norma “Wawan” Irmawan, who was killed in the 1998 Semanggi shooting incident. Another is Suciwati, the widow of murdered human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

“We are quiet because we are not hooligans. But our silence carries a strong message to the President and everybody in this country that the state must fulfill its obligation and pledges to resolve human rights tragedies,” Sumarsih said.

Victims and relatives of other kinds of injustice, including medical malpractice and evictions, have
also taken part in Kamisan demonstrations.

“I joined this group a year ago. They have helped me a lot in seeking justice for my daughter. I am not sure if this will bring justice, though. At least I feel more comfortable being together with other victims,” Darwis Lubis said.

His daughter is now paralyzed due to alleged malpractice while she was undergoing medical treatment in 1999, but his efforts to seek compensation were rejected by the Health Ministry and the Indonesian Doctors Association.

Although they stage their protests just meters away from the Palace, they claimed they had never seen President Yudhoyono’s motorcade pass in front of them.“They always change their route to use the side entrance every time the President wants to enter or exit the Palace with us still rallying,” Yati said.

Will there be a 300th or even a 1,000th? “We strongly believe that one day in the future we will stop this action because this country will meet our demands. We don’t know when but we will never stop until that time comes,” Yati said.

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