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Retno tells UN Jokowi regrets nation’s past human rights abuses
“Indonesia is committed to rehabilitating the victims, without negating the judicial resolution,” Retno said.
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oreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had acknowledged and expressed regret on behalf of the state for 12 gross human rights violations in the country’s history, as part of efforts to improve protections in the future.
Retno was speaking at the council’s 52nd session in Geneva on Monday.
She said preventing future human rights violations required coming to terms with past mistakes, adding that “Indonesia has that courage”.
“Indonesia is committed to rehabilitating the victims, without negating the judicial resolution,” Retno said.
She referenced Jokowi’s Jan. 11 apology on behalf of the nation for its past gross human rights violations.
"With a clear mind and a sincere heart, I, as the leader of this country, admit that gross human rights violations have happened in several incidents, and I regret them very much," Jokowi said at the time.
The President listed 12 gross human rights violations that took place from the 1960s to the early 2000s, including the communist purges of the 1960s and the forced disappearances of student protesters in the late 1990s.
Retno noted that the world was full of uncertainty and that millions of people were still deprived of their basic rights.
She said concrete action had to be taken to ensure respect for human rights, which was a precondition for peace and stability.
“Wars and conflicts must be ended because they only cause destruction and human misery, from Afghanistan to Palestine and from Myanmar to Ukraine,” Retno said.
She added that while human rights protections had to be strengthened, they should not be politicized to serve geopolitical rivalries.
“Finger-pointing and double standards will not contribute to sustainable solutions. Instead, they would divide the council,” Retno said.
She said Indonesia wanted to contribute to the cause of human rights by putting forward its candidacy for membership in the council for the 2024-2026 period with the theme of “Inclusive Partnership for Humanity”.
“We would appreciate very much your kind support for this candidacy,” Retno said.
After Jokowi’s January statement, the government said it was preparing to "rehabilitate" the rights of victims and families of victims of a dozen serious human rights violations.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said on Jan. 12 that the government was considering providing reparations in the social and health sectors, as well as scholarships and “physical rehabilitation”, following recommendations from a nonjudicial settlement team led by veteran diplomat and human rights activist Makarim Wibisono.
The government, however, has not provided details, and questions remain over how it will identify all the victims.
Activists have called on the government to ensure comprehensive reparations payments and the restoration of the dignity of victims, who for decades experienced systemic stigmatization and discrimination.
On Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that respect for human rights had gone into reverse and called for a renewal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 75 years after its signing.
Pointing to the war in Ukraine and threats from soaring poverty, hunger and climate disasters, Guterres said the declaration was "under assault from all sides".
"Some governments chip away at it. Others use a wrecking ball," he said at the opening of the Human Rights Council's main annual session, describing the disregard and disdain seen for human rights around the world as "a wake-up call".
He said the "Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most massive violations of human rights" being witnessed in the world today.
"It has unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement," he said.
While the past century had seen astounding progress in human rights and human development, Guterres warned that now, "instead of continuing this progress, we have gone into reverse".
