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Indonesia: Jakarta Rights Group Attacked for Aceh Stance
Police Fail to Respond
(New York, May 28, 2003) Indonesian police failed to stop two organized attacks on Kontras, a prominent Jakarta-based rights group, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called for a full investigation into the attacks, which appeared directed at the group because of its work in the embattled province of Aceh. Human Rights Watch also urged protection for all Indonesian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reporting on the conflict.


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"The failure of the police to respond to these attacks on a leading human rights organization sets a bad precedent for all groups working on Aceh. The Indonesian government must ensure that domestic human rights organizations are free to work and report on Aceh in safety, especially now that the province is closed to international monitors."

Brad Adams
Executive director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division


 
"The failure of the police to respond to these attacks on a leading human rights organization sets a bad precedent for all groups working on Aceh," said Brad Adams, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division. "The Indonesian government must ensure that domestic human rights organizations are free to work and report on Aceh in safety, especially now that the province is closed to international monitors."

In separate incidents on May 26 and 27, a uniformed group calling themselves Pemuda Panca Marga attacked the Central Jakarta office of Kontras (Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence). Pemuda Panca Marga is a youth group that Human Rights Watch has reported to be involved in numerous incidents of pro-government violence in the past.

At 2:30 p.m. on May 26, approximately twenty members of Pemuda Panca Marga arrived at the Kontras office and accused staff of pro-separatist leanings and opposing a unitary Republic of Indonesia. Members of Pemuda Panca Marga physically assaulted Usman Hamid, a senior presidium member of Kontras, and burned a Kontras banner. Four police officers present during the attack refused to intervene despite appeals by Kontras staff.

At 12:30 p.m. on May 27, approximately 100 Pemuda Panca Marga members returned to the Kontras office. They physically assaulted three senior members of Kontras, Coordinator for the Presidium of Kontras Ori Rahman, Public Opinion Coordinator Gian Moko, and Usman Hamid. They also destroyed part of Kontras' offices. During the hour-long attack, the police failed to respond to repeated calls for assistance. Two police officers finally arrived a half-hour after the group had dispersed.

Kontras is a widely respected Indonesian NGO with headquarters in Jakarta. It has a long history of monitoring and reporting on human rights violations in Aceh, in part from a field office there. Last week, the Indonesian military commander in Aceh listed Kontras as one of the NGOs that would be monitored for alleged separatist activities.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri declared a state of military emergency for Aceh on May 19, 2003. Since then fighting in the province has escalated. While the province is closed to international monitors, there have been reports of extrajudicial killings, a crackdown on NGO activities, restrictions on press freedoms and insufficient humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons.