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Victims of rights violations decry goverment's silence, inaction
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Maria Catarina Sumarsih (standing), the mother of humanitarian activist BR Norma Wawan Imawan who was shot dead during the 1998 riots, speaks during a discussion aimed at scrutinizing obstacles to solving gross human rights violations on Wednesday. The discussion took place to commemorate the weekly Kamisan demonstration, which will mark its 10th year on Thursday. (JP/Margareth S. Aritonang)
V
ictims and the families of victims of gross human rights violations gathered at the Judicial Commission building on Wednesday to scrutinize the challenges that have hampered their plea to be heard by the government.
After 10 years of staging a silent protest by holding black umbrellas across from the Presidential Palace every Thursday, an end to the prolonged cases of human rights violations in the country, which has always been promised by presidential candidates, is nowhere in sight.
“Do we still have hope after all that has happened?” Suciwati Munir, the widow of prominent rights activist Munir Said Thalib asked in her opening remarks.
“We have a minister who is implicated in a gross violation of human rights, and the President seems to have sided with the violators,” she said, referring to Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto.
(Read also: Indonesia to settle past serious human rights violations by May)
The meeting on Wednesday also invited government officials as well as lawmakers working on law and human rights affairs, however only a few attended the discussion. Representatives of state institutions included Ifdhal Kasim from the Presidential Office and Nur Kholis from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). (dmr)
