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Tribunal may aim at Prabowo

After more than four years, the government is pushing 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

Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, February 11, 2013

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Tribunal may aim at Prabowo

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fter more than four years, the government is pushing 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.

The move could become a stumbling block to Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto’s presidential aspirations.

No action had been taken following a recommendation issued by the House of Representatives in September 2009 for the establishment of such a tribunal, until Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto held a meeting with the House leadership late last month to arrange a consultative meeting between the House and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to discuss the issue, slated for Feb. 18.

Although Djoko declined to confirm whether the meeting with the House leaders was specifically aimed to go over the plans for a rights tribunal, information from the House secretary general said that it did concern the establishment of the ad hoc human rights tribunal.

“I didn’t come here to discuss it. My discussion with the House’s leaders was to arrange a meeting with the President on Feb. 18 to talk about many issues, such as the special autonomy in Aceh and Papua and the national legislative program, which some have said covers too many bills,” Djoko said.

He later added that the planned meeting could also discuss the ad hoc tribunal. “A discussion on the human rights tribunal is also likely to be brought up during the meeting because it has been recommended by the House,” he said.

The House has responded to the initiative with caution.

Late last week, deputy speaker of the House Priyo Budi Santoso of the Golkar Party said lawmakers and the government had yet to reach a deal on the details of the planned tribunal.

“The House has yet to formally discuss the issue. Why don’t we just look to the future?” Priyo said, without elaborating.

Separately, leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction at the House, Puan Maharani said political factions in the House had not made any decision about moving forward with the ad hoc tribunal plan.

“It’s not about putting an end to the presidential ambitions of certain figures,” Puan said.

Puan said that the rights tribunal was a sensitive issue as it concerned the country’s global standing.

“It will undoubtedly impact on Indonesia’s image in the global community. Thus, the PDI-P in particular is still considering the potential impact of any decision,” Puan told The Jakarta Post late last week.

A report published by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in 2003 alleged that Prabowo, then commander of the Army’s once notorious Special Forces Command (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.

The investigation found that “security authorities at that time failed to curb the widespread riots that took place simultaneously.”

The Komnas HAM team concluded that the riots erupted as a result of a specific policy based on the “similar pattern at almost all places where the riots took place, which began with provocation, followed by an attack on civilians”.

Other leading military figures implicated in the rights abuses include then Army commander Gen. (ret) Wiranto, who now chairs the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura). Hanura has nominated Wiranto to run in the 2014 presidential election.

Komnas HAM chairman Otto Nur Abdullah said that the rights body would endorse the establishment of the ad hoc tribunal, regardless of the politics behind it.

“Komnas HAM, as well as the public, will fully support the government in its plan. Any political motivation behind the initiative is beyond the remit of Komnas HAM,” he told the Post.

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