F

rom a human rights perspective, the crackdown on terrorist cells across Java in the last couple of days may appear little more than a killing spree as seven suspects were shot dead, in addition to the 13 others who were arrested during the operation.

However, human rights watchdogs in the country, including the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), have rarely expressed their objections to tough counterterrorism measures, let alone investigated potential rights violations in the way operations have been conducted.

The absence of human rights allegations against the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism unit indicates the elite force's compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs). Accusations of rights violations has so far only come from defense lawyers acting on behalf of terror suspects standing trial, but no court order has ever been issued to follow up on the allegations.

There is, of course, the benefit of the doubt but until today, we can rest assured that Densus 88 only moves in based on solid evidence. A raid always follows months of surveillance, during which undercover Densus 88 personnel stalk terror suspects without a break.

Of course, the loss of life in many counterterrorism operations is a cause for concern as all citizens of this country, including terror suspects, have the constitutional right to life that the state cannot seize. The public will not be told the exact circumstances that force Densus 88 officers to open fire and kill terror suspects unless there is ever a mechanism put in place requiring the police to account for Densus 88 operations.

It is the job of policymakers to improve transparency, accountability and, hence, the performance of Densus 88 in the future. But the discourse should not divert attention from the core issue of terrorism as an extraordinary crime and a threat to the nation.

There has been a lapse of almost four years since terrorists bombed two international hotels in Kuningan, South Jakarta, in 2009. The twin bombings followed five years of relative calm, when there were no major terror attacks of the like that had begun to plague the country in 2000. This was due to the efforts by Densus 88 to prevent attacks but on the other, terrorists laid low and waited for the right time to act.

Apparently smarting from a number of incidents, Densus 88 has conducted raids in Aceh, the North Sumatra capital of Medan, the Central Sulawesi town of Poso and many other cities across Java, including Jakarta and its satellites, in the last few years as part of a preemptive strike approach. A plot to bomb the Myanmar Embassy in Central Jakarta was foiled last week following a series of raids, which saw two bomb makers arrested before they managed to hand over the explosives to the designated suicide bomber.

The most recent raids have revealed a work in progress of the terror network that raised money to finance their operations through a series of robberies. To cite the President, such preemptive strikes will not ' and should not ' end as long as the terrorist threat remains alive in this country.