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American woman's life at grave risk from Indonesian detention

28 November 2002

The life of Joy Lee Sadler, held by the Indonesia authorities in Aceh, is in grave danger following her decision to go on hunger strike as a desperate response to the adjournment of her trial for visa violations until 19 December.

American Sadler and Briton Lesley McCulloch have been held for over two months since their arrest on 11 September. Most visitors to Indonesia suspected of visa violations are simply deported.

"The length of the women's detention is outrageous and out of all proportion to the offences alleged against them. The further delay of three weeks is inexcusable. They must be released immediately and unconditionally," says TAPOL.

Ms Sadler is HIV positive. She is seriously ill and her condition is deteriorating rapidy. She has been compelled to go on hunger strike because she "has reached the end of the road emotionally", she said in a statement issued yesterday. She added that she will continue the hunger strike until she and Ms McCulloch are freed.

Ms McCulloch is suffering from severe back pain brought on by the conditions of her detention. Both women have made serious allegations that they have been assaulted and sexually harassed.

The Indonesian authorities must bear full responsibility for the condition of the women, and in particular the danger to Ms Sadler's life, because of their lamentable failure to ensure that their cases proceed without undue delay, says TAPOL.

These delays would not have happened if Indonesian justice operated according to accepted standards of due process. It is widely accepted that the legal system is riven by corruption, institutional weaknesses and a lack of protection for individual rights. Such problems are clearly evident from this case. The three-week adjournment was at the request of the prosecuting attorney, who is clearly playing games with Joy and Lesley's health and state of mind, says TAPOL.

It is further apparent that the Indonesian authorities are pursuing the cases against the two women for political reasons. They intend to make examples of them in order to warn foreigners against visiting Aceh and to prevent the dissemination of information about the dire human rights situation in the province.

The two women have pointed out that their ill treatment is part of a grim pattern in Aceh. They have complained about their distress and horror at the regular beatings and torture suffered by other prisoners and have drawn attention to cases such as that of Raihana Diany from the NGO ORPAD (Democratic Women's Organisation of Aceh) who has been in detention for more than four months. She is on trial for the political crime of defaming the President and Vice-President.

Aceh, on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, has for many years been an area of intense conflict between the Indonesian armed forces, TNI, and the separatist Free Aceh Movement, GAM. The people of Aceh have suffered from widespread and systematic human rights abuses, mainly at the hands of the TNI. Thousands of men, women and children have been killed, tortured or "disappeared".

Lesley McCulloch is a respected academic observer of the human rights situation in Aceh and the conflict there. Her commentaries have been widely published by the media in Southeast Asia.

Joy Lee Sadler is a health-care worker who traveled to Aceh to help treat the sick and injured in refugee camps in the province.

ENDS

For more information, contact Paul Barber on 01420 80153.

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