Weekly Update Human Rights in Indonesia – 06-10-2014 Impunity

Weekly Update Human Rights in Indonesia – 06-10-2014

Suciwati visits Europe Impunity Last week the widow of Munir, Suciwati visited Europe. She was speaker at the German Conference “Es bliebt nur ein Wort: Widerstand”, organized by Watch A Decade After Munir’s Assassination, Questions Still Indonesia, with support from Amnesty Germany and Amnesty NL. She also visited Linger The Netherlands and spoke at a seminar in Leiden, organized by KITLV (KNAW/University of Leiden) and Amnesty NL. Below you find a summary of her The Jakarta Globe, 05-09-2014 speech (with thanks to Indria Fernida as her translator) and the presentation by Adriaan Bedner from the Van Vollenhove Instituut (Leiden University). ‘Test of Our History’: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised to solve murder of prominent human rights activist, but its masterminds remain at large Suciwati explored the possible reasons for the murder of Munir in 2004 in the as his administration comes to an end. relationship of Munir’s activities with governmental officials’ interests:

 When working for LBH Surabaya Munir investigated the murder of Marsinah, a labour conditiopns activist (1993), which pointed into the direction of involvement of military elements.  As coordinator of KontraS Munir supported the victims of the Tim Mawar (Rose Team), part of the Special Forces Kopassus (1998).  Munir defended the relatives of the victims of the shootings and human rights violations by military personnel in May 1998.

In the decade that has passed only the “perpetrators on the ground” have been brought to trial and receive remission each year. The alleged auctor intellectualis, major-general Muchdi PR, in 2004 deputy head of the Intelligence BIN and in 1998 commander of Kopassus, has been acquitted. His superior, general Read the full article: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/decade- Hendropriyono has refused to appear, even as a witness, in court. munirs-assassination-questions-still-linger/ Suciwati gave an update of the case:

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Weekly Update Human Rights in Indonesia – 06-10-2014

 The Judicial Commission (an overseeing agency for the judiciary) has mentioned the right to freedom of religion (cf. the blasphemy law 1965), the invited for clarification several judges who were involved in the trial of rights of women (spec. bylaws), the right to freedom of the press and the Muchdi. Procedural Criminal Code (pre-trial detention up till 80 days?). More positive  The National Human Rights Commission has established (Febr. 2010) a signs were identified in the institutional framework: there is an improvement in special team to investigate the arguments for the acquittal of Muchdi controlling mechanisms and especially the Constitutional Court (notwithstanding before the Supreme Court. the sentence for its Chairperson for corruption) has shown civil courage and  The Police Headquarters has not yet established a new team to independence. In the situation on the ground he mentioned the abuse of power investigate the existence of new evidence. in Aceh and Papua, the occurrence of torture, the violations of the rights to freedom of expression and of religion and the state of impunity ranging from the Conclusions: mass killings in 1965 to Munir’s death in 2004 and other violations.

 The situation of impunity continues. Bedner then analysed the “wish-lists” of KontraS and Human Rights Watch with  There is broad support from the public. regard to the human rights agenda of Jokowi, of which the former is practical and  Our target is Review of the Case (Peninjauan Kembali – PK) against feasible, and the latter broad and a bit fashionable (corruption as a human rights Muchdi violation). He concluded that there may be overstretched expectations for the  The civil claim against Garuda has been decided positively. new president’s human rights performance. He will have to improve legislation in several aspects. Main concern is the limited parliamentary sup[port for Jokowi. Evaluation of the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, SBY: The opposition-parties that supported Prabowo will throw up obstacles wherever possible.  There was no courage to break the existing impunity.  Indonesian youth does not learn from its history of human rights violations. For Victims of Indonesia’s 1965 Communist Purge, No  No lessons are learned, history can repeat itself. Anger, but the Suffering Lingers

The second part of the seminar was devoted to an analysis of the human rights The Jakarta Globe, 30-09-2014 agenda of the president-elect, Joko Widodo, by Dr. Adriaan Bedner (VVI). He Yogyakarta. The group of women greeted each other warmly at the house in divided his presentation in three parts: the human rights situation on paper, the Yogyakarta that Sunday afternoon. They exchanged smiles and shook hands, institutional framework and the practice. As areas of concern in legislation he

Weekly Update Human Rights in Indonesia – 06-10-2014 before sitting down on a mat and continuing their chatter. Then they began In “The Act of Killing,” also known as “Jagal,” Joshua Oppenheimer and his handing over money, Rp 10,000 (82 US cents) each, to a woman appointed the anonymous co-director have received praise and notable International awards for treasurer of the group. their ingenuity in documentary film making. In addition to displaying their advanced skills and techniques, they brought one of Indonesia’s most disastrous These women regularly meet for arisan, a gathering among friends, family or periods, the 1965-1966 mass killings, to global public attention. neighbors, typically held once a month, where participants contribute to a pot that one lucky winner takes that day. While arisan is a common pastime for women in Indonesia, for these old women, it is about more than just socializing or winning the draw.

These women are members of Kiper, a portmanteau of Kiprah Perempuan, or Women’s Movement, a support group set up in 2005 for survivors of the government’s anti-communist purge of 1965-1966 that left an estimated half million Indonesians dead. “We set up this group to support to each other, because most of the victims don’t have the guts to speak up about their experiences, unless it’s with people who experienced the same thing,” says Kiper coordinator Erlin Agus Sudadi. JG Graphic/Modina Rimolfa)

Read the whole article: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/victims-65- In early September, “The Look of Silence” (“Senyap”), Oppenheimer’s latest purge-anger-suffering-lingers/ documentary, won the Grand Jury Prize from the Venice Film Festival and four others awards, including one from the Fipresci, the European Film Critics “The Look of Silence” (“Senyap”), Oppenheimer’s latest association. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that “‘The Look of Silence’ is piercingly and authentically horrifying as its last film, ‘The Act of Killing.’” The Jakarta Globe, 15-09-2014 Last Monday, together with fifteen other individuals, I watched a limited By Tunggal Pawestri, program officer for rights and citizenship at Hivos Southeast screening of “The Look of Silence.” For 98 minutes, Oppenheimer brought Asia. The views expressed are her own. emotional turbulence through the heartbreaking truth of what happened in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, in 1965-1966. The period marked a time when civil

Weekly Update Human Rights in Indonesia – 06-10-2014 militias worked together with the military under strongman Suharto’s regime to There is a scene in “The Look of Silence,” when Adi Rukun asks one of the former arrest, torture, and slaughter suspected communists throughout Indonesia. commanders of a civilian militia, MY Basrun, about the killings. He is currently a member of a local legislative council from the Golkar party in Deli Serdang, North Unlike “The Act of Killing,” which features testimonies from the perpetrators of Sumatra. He tried to justify all the killings committed in 1965-1966 by claiming mass killings in 1965-1966, “The Look of Silence” used a different approach: the the political situation had driven him to it. He added that if he was guilty, he film focuses on the life and struggles of victims and survivors of the massacre. would not have been elected as a councilor by his neighbors. The film also captures the complexity of initiatives for reconciliation between victims, survivors and perpetrators at the grassroots level. His statement is partly true. The decade proved to be a politically chaotic period of Indonesian history. However, the act of killing millions of people is not a Adi Rukun, an optometrist, is the central figure of this documentary. Through his political act; it is a crime against humanity. Politics should not be used to skills, together with Joshua Oppenheimer, he visited the perpetrators of the legitimize an act of brutality. killings and checked their eyes. While he examined their eyes, Adi asked a series of questions about their past — the reason behind their murder of innocent Perhaps MY Basrun forgot that he was able to serve as councilor simply because people, including their own neighbors. Shocking answers were revealed. he still received benefits from remnants of Suharto’s New Order regime, and also because this nation’s cowardice is preventing its people from admitting the The audience witnesses the different reactions from these perpetrators and their horrible truth. It is terrifying to imagine a future where there is a possibility that family members when Adi reveals his older brother was a victim of their certain groups have the power to repeat history; people who will not hesitate to massacre. Pain and sorrow pour out from both sides. wipe out entire villages or “disappear” their opposition, because the past has shown they will only receive impunity. In this documentary, Adi’s mother Rohani, shows viewers what it means to be a true warrior. A strong woman who lost her son and witnessed barbaric acts of It has to be acknowledged that some efforts to address past human rights violence, she manages to maintain her sanity. Rohani is not alone. Thousands of violations have been made, but they have mostly been organized by civil mothers lost their children, husbands and parents in the atrocities committed in organizations. Some progress has been made here and there, mainly through East Timor, Aceh, Papua, Tanjung Priok, Talang Sari Lampung, the May riots of foreign intervention and grassroots efforts. 1998 and the Semanggi protests. Some of these survivors refuse to abandon their plight to act as voices of the dead by standing in front of the Presidential Palace A step forward worth noting, was a public apology given two years ago by the every Thursday in a demonstration known as the “Kamisan” act. They have only mayor of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Rusdi Matura. In his statement, he begged one demand: justice. forgiveness to 1965 victims of Palu. He then took steps to rehabilitate the

Weekly Update Human Rights in Indonesia – 06-10-2014 survivors. Progress did not come instantaneously through the guilt-stricken Nicknamed “the butcher of Lampung” for his role in the 1989 Talangsari killings in conscience of the perpetrators; it was the result of the continuous battle for the province, the former chief of Indonesia’s intelligence agency is believed to justice waged by survivors and their family members. have been a key figure behind human rights activist Munir Said Thalib’s assassination. However, he was never questioned by authorities. However, until this day, the fight to bring past human rights cases to the next level — into the courtroom — continues to fail. In 2012, the Attorney General’s Meanwhile, to rely on JK is not a strong option. People who have watched “The Office (AGO) rejected a plea made by the National Commission on Human Rights Act of Killing” may vividly remember the scene where the vice president-elect to conduct an official investigation on alleged human rights abuses committed in gave an honorary speech in front of the Pancasila Youth congress in Medan, 1965. In addition, the AGO has also failed to look into the 1998 enforced North Sumatra, during which he praised the group, calling them “preman,” the disappearance of several activists. Justice is not being served. Indonesian word used to describe thugs. Moreover, JK recently gave a disheartening comment about Munir’s case, saying the case was closed. Next month, President-elect Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, and Vice President-elect Jusuf Kalla (JK), will be sworn into office. The issue past human rights violations It is during moments like these that Jokowi’s commitment to bring justice to past was mentioned on several occasions in the 42-page document outlining Jokowi’s human rights violators is tested. platform. In it, the president elect stated that he would uphold and respect the principals of human rights — a vow he and JK must commit to during the five Only time will tell whether Jokowi will pass this test or fail, just like his years of their presidency. predecessors. Who knows, perhaps in five years’ time, with great pride, Indonesians will be able to produce a documentary entitled, “The End of The task of solving past human rights violations is not an easy one; it is a grueling Impunity.” challenge that needs the continuous support of different stakeholders. Jokowi will likely encounter resistance, not only from those outside his circle, but also Pre-announcement Ade Darmawan from the very people he calls his coworkers. The issue is indeed political. Vrijheidslezing door Ade Darmawan, 21 oktober, Prodemos, Den Haag: Recently, several human rights champions have started to question Jokowi’s http://www.prodemos.nl/Agenda/De-Vrijheidslezing commitment to their plight, particularly when Indonesia’s new president chose to Vrijheidslezing door Ade Darmawan, 23 oktober a.s. De Balie, Amsterdam: recruit Hendropriyono as an advisor for his transition team. http://www.debalie.nl/agenda/programma/vrijheidslezing-%237-met-ade- darmawan%2c-kunstenaar-en-activist-uit-indonesie/e_9756207/p_11664072/