Abducted pro-democracy activists disappointed in Komnas HAM

Detik.com – February 23, 2006
Victim of 1997-98 abductions Mugiyanto (CNN)
Victim of 1997-98 abductions Mugiyanto (CNN)

Ken Yunita, Jakarta – It has not just been once or twice that the families of pro-democracy activists that were abducted in 1997-98 have expressed their disappointment with the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Ad Hoc team. This time around they are conveying the same thing, annoyance and disappointment with the sluggishness of the team’s work.

“Whereas shouldn’t the team finish in June 2006, but as of this month why hasn’t there been a single summons of those suspected of [carrying out the] abductions”, said one of the victims, Mugiono (sic), during a meeting with Komnas HAM at their offices in Jakarta on Thursday February 23.

The mothers of two abducted activists and a member of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) accompanied Mugiono.

The delays have made Mugiono wander because the team has already gathered information from a number of witnesses. “Is the information from the witnesses that has been gathered so far [still] not enough”, he said.

In response the deputy head of the Ad Hoc team, Martono, said that in fact the team’s working program has been on schedule. Martono admitted however that so far it was still at stage I, the compiling data and listening to testimonies from the victims and their families and friends.

Starting in March the team will begin visiting the locations where victims say they were detained. “We may perhaps visit the national police headquarters where friends previously said they had been detained, or perhaps the Jakarta metropolitan police”, he said.

Mugiono added that Komnas HAM must ask for political support from the president or the House of Representatives in order that the case can be resolved properly and quickly. “Komnas HAM must demand the fulfillment of President SBY’s [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] promise to complete [the investigation into] cases of human rights violations, both those in the past and now”, he said.

In response Martono said that Komnas HAM as actually already sent letters to Yudhoyono and the TNI (Indonesian military). The letter basically appealed to and informed them that the Komnas HAM Ad Hoc team was currently conducting and investigation into the abduction of pro-democracy activists and asked that it be heeded because it is mandated by legislation.(umi)

[Translated by James Balowski.]