New legislators told to settle past abuses
Hans David , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 10/01/2009 4:36 PM | National
Human rights activists say they have hopes for the new House of Representatives legislators to settle past human rights violation cases once and for all.
“We hope the new legislators will show commitment by pushing the president to establish a Human Rights Court to resolve the gross human rights violation cases,” coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Usman Hamid, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
“The new legislators must fight to make sure justice is delivered to the victims and their families.”
At the end of its term the previous House asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to form a human rights court to try those behind the abduction of government critics in 1997 and 1998. The lawmakers also urged the president to find out what happened to 13 kidnapped activists who remain missing since then.
Families of the missing people and victims of human rights abuses that occurred in 1998 and 1999 have fought for justice, but to no avail.
Usman also expected the new legislators to refrain from producing laws that could restrict freedom.
Separately, the Director of the Research Institute for Democracy and a Prosperous State (Pedoman), Fadjroel Rachman, warned the new lawmakers against passing the State Secrecy Bill into law to ensure freedom of access to information.
“The Public Information law is good enough for the public,” he said.
New legislators told to settle past abuses
Hans David , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 10/01/2009 4:36 PM | National
Human rights activists say they have hopes for the new House of Representatives legislators to settle past human rights violation cases once and for all.
“We hope the new legislators will show commitment by pushing the president to establish a Human Rights Court to resolve the gross human rights violation cases,” coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Usman Hamid, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
“The new legislators must fight to make sure justice is delivered to the victims and their families.”
At the end of its term the previous House asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to form a human rights court to try those behind the abduction of government critics in 1997 and 1998. The lawmakers also urged the president to find out what happened to 13 kidnapped activists who remain missing since then.
Families of the missing people and victims of human rights abuses that occurred in 1998 and 1999 have fought for justice, but to no avail.
Usman also expected the new legislators to refrain from producing laws that could restrict freedom.
Separately, the Director of the Research Institute for Democracy and a Prosperous State (Pedoman), Fadjroel Rachman, warned the new lawmakers against passing the State Secrecy Bill into law to ensure freedom of access to information.
“The Public Information law is good enough for the public,” he said.