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View all search resultsMilitary role in terror fight prone to human rights abuse
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On alert -- Personnel from the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad stand guard during a security operation against terrorists recently. (Persda Network/Bina Harnansa)
T
he involvement of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in fighting terrorism shifts the emphasis of the country's counterterrorism approach from a criminal-justice model to a war-fighting model and could lead to human rights abuses, a human rights watchdog has warned.
Imparsial director Al-Araf said on Monday that a military approach lacked accountability and human rights protection mechanisms. "In [the military] approach there is no due process of law. It is extremely prone to power abuse and this is something that we should be concerned about," Al-Araf said.
Under the war-fighting model, the authorities could arrest suspected terrorists without warrants and mere profiling could be used as basis for such arrests, al-Araf said.
Alleged abuse cases by TNI personnel would be heard in a military court, which lacked transparency since all the judges and attorneys were part of the military, Al-Araf said. "Military tribunals are not a fair mechanism. They can lead to impunity and are prone to human rights abuse," he added.
The House of Representatives' special committee on the deliberation of the draft revision of the 2003 Terrorism Law is mulling a proposal to insert articles on the military’s role in counterterrorism measures. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has said the government hopes the deliberation will be finished by August. (ary)
