Indonesia: Acquittals Show Continuing Military Impunity

[struggle4progress]

1984 Massacre of Demonstrators Goes Unpunished
By: Human Rights Watch
Published: Jul 12, 2005 at 06:49

The recent appeals court acquittal of twelve soldiers convicted last year of the 1984 massacre of demonstrators in Jakarta shows the almost complete failure of Indonesia's human rights courts, Human Rights Watch said today. The latest decision means that no one has been convicted for the so-called "Tanjung Priok" massacre, in which security forces killed at least 33 civilians in 1984.

Human Rights Watch said that the appeals court decision was not made public, but was reported by the BBC, last Thursday, July 7.

The Tanjung Priok trials had represented Indonesia's most robust attempt to date to hold perpetrators accountable for Suharto-era abuses. But following the acquittals, Human Rights Watch said that victims and their families have no judicial redress for the 22-year-old killings in Jakarta.

The acquittals followed trials by the ad hoc human rights court on East Timor, which finished appeal hearings in 2004. All but one of the 18 defendants were acquitted for crimes against humanity. Only Eurico Guterres, an East Timorese militia commander, stands convicted at present, and he remains free pending final appeal to the Supreme Court. <snip>

http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_22718.shtml