Huyogo Simbolon, Bandung – Scores of people gathered at the People's Struggle Monument in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung on Thursday September 2. The majority of participants were young people who wore black clothing and held the distinct black umbrellas of a Kamisan (Thursday) action.
This was the 360th Kamisan action held in Bandung. Today's Kamisan was titled Black September (September Hitam) – refusing to forget cases of human rights violations which have occurred in Indonesia and continuing to urge the government to resolve them immediately.
The action began at around 4.30 pm. The participants wearing black clothing also wore masks and followed health protocols.
One of the speakers opened the Black September commemoration with a reflection on a number of dark human rights incidents which have occurred in the month of September over the years. This was to remind the state to fulfill its responsibility.
The incidents of human rights violations in September begins with the 1965-1966 killings, the Tanjung Priok tragedy (1984), the Semanggi II student shootings (1999) and the assassination of renowned rights defender Munir Said Thalib (2004).
Three new cases were also cited, namely the brutality of security forces against the Reform Corrupted (Reformasi Dikorupsi) actions (2019), the fatal shooting of student protesters La Randi and Muhammad Yusuf Qardawi (2019) and the shooting of Papuan priest Reverend Yeremia Zanambani (2020).
In addition to this, three points were emphasised during the 360th Kamisan action in Bandung:
1. That the Attorney General conduct investigations into all cases of gross human rights violations which have already been investigated by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) so that all of these cases can be quickly followed up in accordance with the mandate of Law Number 26/2000 on a Human Rights Court through a judicial process.
2. That the Komnas HAM and the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) actively provide comprehensive rehabilitation to all victims of human rights violations as a form of reparation that is done in concert with the judicial process of prosecuting gross human rights violations.
3. That the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) immediately revise Law Number 26/2000 on a Human Rights Court so that it can become a more effective legal basis for the judicial resolution of gross human rights violations and fulfilling the rights to reparation for victims.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Peringati September Hitam, Aksi Kamisan Bandung Menolak Lupa Pelanggaran HAM".]
