Groups call on SBY to release Papua political prisoners

An international collection of groups have written to Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urging the release of Papuan political prisoners and amending the laws under which they and others are imprisoned. 

Among the groups signing are ETAN, Human Rights Watch, West Papua Advocacy Team, Timor-Leste National Alliance for an International Tribunal, Tapol, and Foundation Pro Papua. The complete list is here.

The key demands of the letter are  

 * releasing all Papuan political prisoners, including those already convicted and those waiting trial;

* securing the deletion of Articles 106 and 110 of the Criminal Code;

* ordering an immediate investigation into conditions in the prisons where the prisoners are being held and ensure the punishment of all prison personnel held responsible for maltreatment.




 

US-Jakarta ties 'threat to Papua,' threat to rights

"No military aid without justice!!!" says the banner at a protest opposing renewed assistance to Kopassus at the U.S. Embassy. Mugiyanto, who was kidnapped in 1998, tells Al Jazeera that by training Kopassus the "U.S. is legitimizing impunity in Indonesia, that the U.S. is accepting the fact that impuniy prevails, that the perpetrators of human rights violations are not yet held accountable..."


Papuan political prisoner Filep Karma tells Al Jazeera, that renewing military co-operation between the US and Indonesia will only leave the Indonesian military "better equipped to commit their murders." 

Secretary of Defense Gates Goes to Jakarta Bearing Kopassus Gift

UPDATE: See ETAN's media release here

ETAN is disgusted to learn that while Secretary of  Defense Robert Gates was in Jakarta, he announced that U.S. will for the first time since 1998 provide training for Indonesia's notorious Kopassus special forces. This can only undermine reform and violate the Leahy Law, which prohibits military assistance to units with unresolved human rights violations. Kopassus has failed to reform and officers accused of the human rights crimes continue to serve with unit. While Gates spoke of  future changes, he did not mention accountability for past human rights crimes. While Gates met with Indonesia's Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, news and other reports do not say whether or not Gates met with his deputy, former Kopassus;General Sjafrie Sjamsuddin, who has been barred from travel to the U.S. because of his history of human rights violations.

As ETAN said in March:

Training Kopassus will set back efforts to achieve accountability for past and recent human rights violations and will do little or nothing to discourage future crimes."

As we were learning about the Gates announcement, I was tracking down photos of torture during Indonesia's illegal occupation of East Timor (Timor-Leste) for an author with a book coming out soon. While the exact circumstances of the photos I was looking at are not known (they were taken by TNI soldiers and then bought or taken by the resistance), I have no doubt that Kopassus soldiers were involved in these or similar rights violations. None of these soldiers have been brought to justice for these and other human rights crimes.

Secretary Gates and President Yudhoyono meet, Jakarta, Indonesia, July 22, 2010. DoD photo by Cherie Cullen

 In his statement after bringing the news to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Gates said

I was pleased to be able to tell the president that as a result of Indonesian military reforms over the past decade... the United States will begin a gradual, limited program of security cooperation activities with the Indonesian Army Special Forces.

I noted to the president that these initial steps will take place within the limits of U.S. law and do not signal any lessening of the importance we place on human rights and accountability. What's more, our ability to expand upon these initial steps will depend upon continued implementation of reforms within Kopassus and TNI as a whole.'

However, there is no evidence that international assistance has ever improved the behavior of the Indonesian military. Just ask the hundreds of thousands people and their relatives, who were killed, tortured, disappeared, and raped in East Timor, Aceh, West Papua and elsewhere while the U.S. was most engaged with Indonesia's security forces.

Poengky Indarti from Imparsial told Reuters,

We regret this development very much. Until now, the perpetrators of past human rights abuses in East Timor, Aceh and Papua are still free. There is still impunity in the Indonesian military, especially in Kopassus." 

She added "We are confused about the position of Barack Obama. Is he pro-human rights or not?"

In May, a number of senior members of Congress wrote Secretary Gates raised a number of concerns about any plan to train Kopassus members.

ETAN is available for media comment on the announcement. Contact 718-596-7668 or 917-690-4391.

more to come

Even the Pentagon...

Newsweek writes that "Even the Pentagon, which cut ties to the Indonesian military after massacres in East Timor two decades ago, was pushing for renewed links including increased U.S. assistance for Kopassus, the Indonesian special forces." 

Even the Pentagon! When did they ever support not training Kopassus?

Congress and the administration (in response to Congressional pressure) first cut IMET military training in 1992. The Pentagon did everything it could to resist and undermine that policy. In 1998, the East Timor Action Network, journalist Allan Nairn, and members of Congress released documents that showed that the Pentagon had continued training under a program (JCET) not explicitly banned by legislation, defying Congressional intent not to further the skills of a military brutalizing people in East Timor and elsewhere. Kopassus were the shock troops of this repression. JCET then ended in mid-exercise as the Suharto dictatorship was in its death throes.

Training Kopassus remains a really bad idea, and the U.S. should not indulge Indonesia by resuming training. It will only further stall efforts in Indonesia and East Timor to hold them accountable for past and recent human rights violations. 

Training will only embolden unreformed elements of the military and clearly won't discourage future crimes.

Sign the petition opposing U.S. cooperation with Kopassus

see also ETAN's Guide to U.S. Security Assistance to Indonesia and East Timor

Congratulations to Timor's Milena Pires on CEDAW election

ETAN congratulates Milena Pires (full name: Maria Helena Lopes de Jesus Pires) on her election to the Convention on the monitoring commission Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, She was elected as an expert, although she was nominated by the government of Timor-Leste. Her four-year term begins on January 1 of next year.


Milena has served as Country Programme Coordinator for UNIFEM and worked or consulted for various government agencies and NGOs. She was a member of the Constituent Assembly which drafted Timor's consitution.

Sofia Borges, Timor-Leste's ambassador to the UN wrote on Facebook:

Dear friends today marked a very historic and important day for Dra Milena and Timor-Leste. I want to congratulate dra Pires for winning the elections today and wish her every success in further promoting the rights of women worldwide and enhaning the work of CEDAW. This win only goes to show that small islands have big ideas, big dreams and contribute big. Congratulations we are truly proud of you Milena. It has been a tough campaign but we have proven that with little resources but with sheer determination we can do this. Cograutlations to Minister Zacarias da Costa, this has been a big day for Foreign Affairs.