PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS, PEACE AND DEMOCRACY IN INDONESIA

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13 March 2002

TAPOL has today strongly condemned an attack in Jakarta on Wednesday by well-organised thugs on the office of Kontras, the Commission for the Disappeared and the Victims of Violence.

'This is a grave escalation of violence against human rights defenders in Indonesia and a sign that the Indonesian military will stop at nothing to protect themselves against accusations of grave human rights abuses,' said Carmel Budiardjo of TAPOL.

The attack came one day after a peaceful demonstration outside the home of General Wiranto, former commander in chief of the Indonesia armed forces, protesting against the refusal of senior army officers to respond to summones to face questioning in relation to the May 1998 Trisakti incident when four students were shot dead, and subsequent attacks on students.

The attack came one day before a special human rights court will start trying two senior officials accused of gross human rights violations in East Timor in 1999.

Hundreds of thugs inflicted heavy damage on the office in Jakarta of Kontras, Indonesia's foremost human rights organisation which has been at the forefront of exposing acts of violence by the Indonesian military and demanding that officers responsible for human rights violations should be call to account.The founder of Kontras, Munir, who was in the office at the time, was physically abused and accused of being a 'Jew' and a 'Communist' and warned that his life was in danger. Two activists were injured when they were attacked by thugs using broken glass, and had to be rushed to hospital. All twenty computers as well as other equipment were destroyed and important files relating to Kontras activities in Aceh, Papua. Maluku and Poso disappeared.

The five hundred thugs were transported to the Kontras office in nine minibuses and other vehicles, making it clear that this was a well-organised attack.

The attack came two days after Kontras released a major report entitled: 'Human Rights in Stagnation, Report on Human Rights Conditions in Indonesia in 2001'. Launching the report, Kontras coordinator Ori Rahman warned that the human rights situation in Indonesia in the coming could only get worse. The Report pointed out that the two governments of Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri, had failed to show any commitment to uphold people's civil and political rights. He also pointed to the recent appointment of top army officers known as violators of human rights to senior government posts.

TAPOL warned that these serious developments point to increasing lawlessness in Indonesia. It said that military arrogance is worsening by the day as shown by the establishment of a new military command in Aceh and the escalating level of military operations both in Aceh and West Papua.

It said that human rights defenders are now in grave danger. It called on all governments around the world to protest to the Indonesian authorities about today's grave incident and to call for effective measures to protect human rights defenders everywhere in Indonesia.

ENDS

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