Indonesia: The War in Aceh

n this report, Human Rights Watch called on both the Indonesian government and armed rebels in Aceh to protect civilians, saying both sides had been responsible for human rights violations. Human Rights Watch also called for the government to allowlocal human rights organizations to carry out fact-finding investigations without intimidation and to cease persecution of non-violent supporters of political change. Human Rights Watch called on the new government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri to move quickly to set up human rights courts to prosecute cases of serious human rights violations. The new report notes that the Acehnese rebel organization, Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM, the Free Aceh Movement) has tried to restrict free expression by threatening journalists who do not report GAM's version of events. It also looks at killings and unlawful detentions by GAM, as well as GAM's forced expulsions of ethnic Javanese. The report also examines the Indonesian security forces' role in extrajudicial executions, "disappearances," torture, and collective punishment.