AchehSumatra National Liberation Front (ASNLF)
Corruption in Indonesia is wide spread and also prevalent. Problems related with bribery are
everywhere, whether it be with police, judges, prosecutors etc. Indonesians have this culture
when it comes to their dealings with the law. When law enforcers can be bribed, justice is for
sale. Any trust in the justice, especially in Criminal Justice System, is destroyed. Practically,
Indonesia is ruled by power, not by law – "Rechtsstaat". So long as corruption is still rife
among the country’s judiciary and law enforcers, the rule of law can not be upheld.
Mr. Chairman,
What I have been telling the Forum is by far about Indonesia in general, an archipelago as
big as the European continent, with different ethnics, languages and minorities. What has
happened to minorities, particularly in the conflict areas such as Acheh, West Papua, South
Moluccas etc is actually much worse.
In the case of Acheh, after alsmost thirty years of conflict, a deal called MoU was struct in
2005 in Helsinki. But despite the deal, the current political and security situation is still fragile.
ASNLF warns this very forum last year of the consequences if unresolved issues and
impunity of past abuses committed by military and police were not adressed. And,
unfortunately, the situation in Acheh this year is far worse than in 2014. Indonesian police
continues to commit human rights violations by killing unarmed Achehnese civilians.
Since March this year, Indonesian police and military have been conducting operations in
search of the responsible for the murder of two soldiers. Since then, arbitrary arrests, torture
and extrajudicial killings have become the order of the day. Six have been killed so far and
over thirty arrested. By August, two Achehnese civilians were extrajudicially killed and in
both cases they were gunned down after being apprehended. The victims were suspected
members of a small group of former combatants who challenge the corrupt local authority.
The following is just two examples how the indonesian police excercises its powers in Acheh.
1. Ridwan, from North Acheh, was arrested at his home and shot dead at close range on
August 20. Local police Chief Triarsono Anang, in his own words, said that there were
four other members of the group in the house but managed to escape and there were
armed clashes taking place. According to eyewitnesses and the testimony of Ridwan’s
family, the victim was sick and alone at home when the house was raided. And there
was no armed clash either that afternoon. Ridwan was actually executed in front of his
house.
2. Junaidi, also from the same district, suspected member of the group, was shot dead by
the police at a point blank on August 27 at a petrol station. According to many witnesses
at the site, Junaidi had already asked for mercy before being gunned down. Police said
Junaidi was trying to escape and he had to be “paralysed” (Paralyse is a word often
used by the military or polic when shooting a suspect who tries to run). The fact is,
Junaidi was shot to death at a close range with three shots.
AchehSumatra National Liberation Front (ASNLF)
PO Box 10 15 26
99805 Eisenach
Germany
Phone: +49 1577 3431 335
Fax : +49 6626 2610 103
Email : info@asnlf.org
Website : www.asnlf.org