PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS, PEACE AND DEMOCRACY IN INDONESIA
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The following letter was sent by TAPOL to British Foreign Office Minister, Mike O'Brien, on 13 February 2003
See also press release dated 13 February 2003
Mike O’Brien,
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
Whitehall,
London SW1
Dear Mr O’Brien,
Arrest of Muhammad Nazar
Muhammad Nazar, the chairman of SIRA, the Information Centre for a Referendum in Aceh, was arrested by the police at 1.30am on Tuesday 12 February. He is now being held at police headquarters in Banda Aceh. We understand that he may face charges relating to a public rally held in Lhokseumawe on 9 January.
In the past two weeks, two other civil society activists have been arrested and held for several days. This suggests that the security forces in Aceh are pursuing a policy of intimidating civil society activists. This is in contravention of the terms of the Cessation of Hostilities accord signed by the Indonesian Government and GAM on 9 December last, which states: ‘Both parties will allow civil society to express without hindrance their democratic rights.’
Such a policy is very harmful to the implementation of the accord signed in December and hence could reverse the improvements that have occurred in Aceh following the signing of the accord.
We hope that the British Government will make strong representations to the Indonesian Government about the arrest of Muhammad Nazar and call for his immediate release. We feel it is essential for the Indonesian authorities to be made aware of the deep concern of the international community about any action that violates the rights of civil society to express their democratic rights and that can damage the prospects for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Aceh.
Yours sincerely,
Carmel Budiardjo, TAPOL
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