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Govt to start mapping political exiles for reparations
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Jokowi expresses regrets over past human rights abuses (JP/Hengky Setiawan)
T
he Law and Human Rights Ministry will soon start mapping out the number of political exiles abroad whose citizenship is eligible for restoration, following up on a recent decree to settle past human rights abuses.
The ministry’s directorate general for human rights is set to carry out Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 2/2023, which President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed last week as a follow-up on 11 recommendations submitted in January by a nonjudicial settlement team led by veteran diplomat and human rights activist Makarim Wibisono.
The instruction focuses on the restoration of constitutional and civil rights for political exiles who were forced to leave or remain outside the country due to their links, or alleged links, to the putsch of Sept. 30, 1965, which was used as the pretext for a bloody purge of Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) members and alleged members.
In the instruction, the Attorney General’s Office, the National Police, the Indonesian Military and 16 Cabinet ministries, including the Law and Human Rights Ministry, were assigned to implement the team’s recommendations, each in accordance with their respective roles and responsibilities.
The law ministry, for instance, was assigned by the President to provide citizenship documents for the victims of past atrocities or their living heirs who live abroad and offer them repatriation assistance should they wish it.
Acting human rights director general, Dhahana Putra told reporters on Tuesday that the ministry would begin its work by recording the number of political exiles living abroad and verifying their data.
Dhahana said he would discuss with the heads of the immigration and the legal administration directorates general and before starting work together with the Foreign Ministry and Home Ministry to restore the victims' rights.
