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Amnesty International November 2000 AI Index: ASA 21/61/00

••••••••INDONESIA Activists at risk in Aceh

Introduction

On 5 September 2000, Amrisaldin, a 24-year-old volunteer with an Aceh-based

humanitarian organization, Save Emergency for Aceh (SEFA) was detained by

members of the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) during a stop and search

operation in Meukek Sub-district, South Aceh. Amrisaldin was released the

next day having been punched, kicked, slashed with a knife and having had

his pubic, chest and armpit hair burnt with matches.

One week earlier, on 27 August 2000, three local staff members of the international

humanitarian agency Oxfam were severely beaten and one had a fingernail pulled

out and his back burnt with cigarettes by members of Brimob in Ladang Rimba,

South Aceh.

On 26 January 2000, Munir, a human rights activist who had worked with the

organization Forum for the Attention of Human Rights (Forum Peduli Hak Asasi

Manusia, FP HAM) was seen being taken from his home in Tangse Sub-district,

Pidie District by members of Brimob and the Indonesian military (Tentara Nasional

Indonesia - TNI). There has been no information on his whereabouts since then.

Cases such as these are not unusual in the Indonesian province of Aceh, where serious human rights violations continue to be perpetrated during the course of operations by the Indonesian security forces against the pro-independence armed opposition group, the Free Aceh Movement, (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM). In a situation where human rights abuses both by the security forces and GAM against the civilian population are widespread, humanitarian workers and human rights defenders face particular risks in their work. At the very least they must endure the “stop and search” operations by the security forces which take place at frequent intervals along roads, fear of inadvertently being caught in an exchange of gunfire and other risks associated with working in an area of armed conflict.

Often, however, humanitarian and human rights activists have been specifically targeted. Over the last two years, Amnesty International has recorded some 60 cases of serious human rights violations targeted at activists, including suspected unlawful killings and “disappearances” as well as other cases of arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment. There are also reports of cases of harassment and intimidation of activists by GAM.

As is the case generally in Indonesia, investigations into human rights violations in Aceh, including those against human rights defenders and other activists, are rarely carried out. With few exceptions, perpetrators are not brought to justice. Although investigations into a number of cases are ongoing, not one of the cases of violations against human rights defenders, humanitarian workers or political activists recorded by Amnesty International in this document have resulted in justice or reparations for the victims or their families.

Escalating attacks on human rights defenders and other activists

Until 1998, restrictions on freedom of assembly, association and expression, which had characterised former President Suharto’s rule, prevented non-governmental organizations from operating openly. Despite considerable risks to themselves, a small number of human rights defenders and humanitarian groups were active in Aceh. However, it was the growth of popular opposition to President Suharto and his government during 1998, particularly among students throughout Indonesia, which provided the foundations for the development of a vibrant community of human rights, humanitarian and political activists in Aceh.

Students who had first mobilised in opposition to the government went on to form groups to work with internally displaced persons (IDPs) and to monitor human

Activists at risk in Aceh 3


rights violations. Activists set up posts in villages with the intention of recording events and to act as a deterrent to the excesses of the security forces. However, as the human rights situation in Aceh deteriorated in late 1998 and early 1999, it became increasingly apparent that activists were themselves regarded as a threat by the security forces and attacks on political, humanitarian and human rights activists began to escalate.

The torture of Anwar Yusuf, human rights defender Anwar Yusuf, a volunteer with the human rights group, FP HAM had been investigating an incident on 3 February 1999 in which the military opened fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians who were making their way home from a meeting in which pro-independence speeches were made in the village of Matang Ulim, Idi Cut, Simpang Ulim Sub-district, East Aceh. 1 His investigations included a visit to Arakundo river where the victims’ bodies were later found. On 7 February 1999, Anwar Yusuf was arrested at his home in East Aceh by men who identified themselves as belonging to Idi Rayeuk Sub-district Military Command (Koramil). He was taken to Koramil and then to a private house where he was interrogated by four members of the TNI about his visit to Arakundo river and was accused of being a member of GAM.

During his interrogation, Anwar Yusuf claims that he was tortured. He says he was beaten with a wooden block, a broom and a chair, had hot coffee poured over him and was forced to squat on the floor with a wooden block wedged behind his knees. He was also threatened that he would be shot. The next day he was transferred to the East Aceh District Military Command (Kodim) before being taken into police custody on 10 February 1999. He was released on the same day without charge. During the time that Anwar Yusuf was in detention, his mother had attempted to trace him at both Koramil and the police station from which he was ultimately released. Both police and Koramil officials denied any knowledge of his whereabouts.

The “disappearance” of Fachrurazzi, volunteer humanitarian worker

1 The Idi Cut case is one of five cases recommended for immediate prosecution by the

Independent Commission for the Investigation of Violence in Aceh (KPTKA), an official body established

by the Indonesian authorities in July 1999. According to the KPTKA, seven people were unlawfully killed

in this incident which is widely believed to have been carried out in revenge for the kidnapping and killing

of seven soldiers in December 1999. NGO sources believe the total number of people killed was

substantially higher. Some of the bodies were found in the nearby Arakundo river, a number of which were

reported to have been weighed down with stones and still alive when they were thrown into the river.

4 Activists at risk in Aceh

AI Index: ASA 21/61/00 Amnesty International November 2000

Amnesty International recorded an increase in attacks on activists in the early months of the year 2000. In February 2000, the Aceh branch of the Legal Aid Institute (Lembaga Bantuan Hukum - LBH Aceh) issued a report in which it noted that there had been a noticeable shift in the targets of security force operations and that humanitarian workers, para-medics and journalists were particularly at risk. LBH Aceh considered this to be a deliberate policy to prevent humanitarian and human rights work from being carried out. The level of intimidation was such that activists were prevented from travelling in the province to carry out their work. Investigation of reports of human rights violations throughout the province was often impossible because areas in which incidents were said to have taken place were sealed off by the security forces.

It was during this period, on 6 January 2000, that Fachrurazzi, a 25-year-old student at the Iskandar Thani Technical School in the provincial capital Banda Aceh and volunteer with a humanitarian group called Young Student Citizens for Aceh (Pemuda Mahasiswa Rakyat ke Aceh, Pemraka), was seen being detained by Brimob officers during “stop and search” operations close to the Simpang Mamplam post of Pemraka in Samalanga Sub-district, Bireun District.

Having realized that their son had gone missing, Fachrurazzi’s parents made strenuous efforts to find him. During January and February 2000, they visited five police sektor (Polsek) offices in different Sub-districts, both the North Aceh and Pidie District Police Resorts (Polres), two separate Sub-district military commands (Koramil) and the North Aceh District Military Command (Kodim). In each case they were told by police and military officers that Fachrurazzi was not being detained by them. On 11 February 2000, they were informed at the Regional Police Headquarters (Polda) that Fachrurazzi had been released that day. However, as of October 2000, Aceh-based human rights organizations working on his case have received no further news of his whereabouts.

The torture and unlawful killing of Jafar Siddiq Hamzah and Nashiruddin Daud In August 2000, human rights defenders and humanitarian activists reported a further escalation in intimidation and threats against them. The level of fear among activists had already been heightened by the apparent “disappearance” of Jafar Siddiq Hamzah in the city of Medan, North Sumatra on 5 August 2000. An Acehnese human rights activist and lawyer, Jafar Siddiq Hamzah was visiting Indonesia from the United States of America where he was resident and where he had established the International Forum for Aceh (IFA), an NGO focusing on the promotion of human rights and democracy in Aceh.



Jafar Siddiq Hamzah failed to keep an appointment in Medan in the early afternoon of 5 August 2000 and there was no further news of him until his body was identified as being one of five corpses discovered in a ravine outside Medan in Merek Sub-district, Tanah Karo District, North Sumatra on 2 September 2000. His body was reportedly bound in barbed wire and bore marks of torture. Both the security forces and GAM have denied responsibility for his death. A police investigation has so far failed to result in the identification of suspects.

Jafar Siddiq Hamzah was the second high profile figure working on human rights violations in Aceh to have gone missing in Medan and to have subsequently been discovered dead in the year 2000. The parliamentarian, Nashiruddin Daud, a member of the United Development Party (Partai Persatuan Pembangunan - PPP) and vice-chair of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into human rights violations in Aceh, was last seen alive on 24 January 2000 getting into a vehicle with an unknown man in Medan. His body was found the following day. A member of the military police and a civilian were arrested in September 2000 and accused of involvement in the killing of Nashiruddin Daud but neither have been charged and it

is believed that they have been released. Although the identities of those responsible for the killing and torture of both Jafar Siddiq Hamzah and Nashiruddin Daud remain unclear, there are serious concerns that their deaths are related to their human rights activities.

The torture of Amrisaldin, humanitarian worker Further attacks on activists were reported in September and October 2000. Amrisaldin, a 24-year-old volunteer with the humanitarian organization, Save Emergency for Aceh (SEFA), was detained by members of Brimob during a “stop and search” operation in Meukek Sub-district, South Aceh. His detention appears to have been in connection with a report he was carrying about alleged human rights violations by the security forces against internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South Aceh and because he was carrying medical supplies for distribution among IDPs in the district.

Amrisaldin was subjected to nearly five hours of torture from 9.45pm on 5 September 2000 to 2.15am the following morning in the Meukek Police Sektor (Polsek) in South Aceh. According to his testimony he was punched in the mouth and kicked in the ear and stomach. His forehead was cut with a knife, his pubic,



chest and armpit hair was burnt with matches and he was threatened with death. His treatment improved after Amrisaldin’s colleagues from Banda Aceh telephoned Meukek Polsek and the torture stopped completely when officers became aware that his case had been taken up with a national human rights organization based in Jakarta.

Nevertheless, the interrogation continued until 4am during which time Amrisaldin was accused of being a GAM activist. He was released that day but ordered to stay in Tapaktuan Sub-district in South Aceh for five days and to report to the South Aceh District Police Resort (Polres). Before being released, he had to sign a letter in which he promised not to raise the case publicly.

The torture of Muhammed Saleh and Muzakkir, political activists Political activists from groups advocating the holding of a referendum in Aceh to determine the future political status of the province are also among those who have become victims of human rights violations over recent months. On 19 September 2000, two activists with the pro-referendum group, Information Centre for a Referendum in Aceh (Sentral Informasi Referendum Aceh - SIRA), were abducted by armed men in plain clothes from a car repair workshop in Banda Aceh. Muhammad Saleh, a member of SIRA’s Presidium Council and Muzakkir, the secretary of a publication produced by SIRA, were taken to the Brimob headquarters in Jilingke, Banda Aceh, where they were stripped to their underwear and beaten with aerial cable, rifle butts, belts and chairs. The Brimob officers also threatened Muhammed Saleh with a knife, saying that his throat would be cut and his eyes gouged out. After around three-and-a-half hours the two men were blindfolded and driven to the Aceh Regional Police Headquarters (Polda). As they got out of the vehicle, they were beaten and kicked. The beatings continued during the subsequent interrogation.

On the morning of 20 September 2000, Muhammad Salah and Muzakkir were permitted access to their families and to lawyers, and were released at 5.30pm the same day. A police official stated that the two were detained in relation to a dispute over a vehicle. He denied that the two were tortured while in custody. Both activists required hospital treatment, including for broken ribs in the case of Muhammad Salah.



Attacks on activists by GAM GAM has also been responsible for intimidating and threatening activists. One humanitarian group in Banda Aceh reported in May 2000 that its members had been threatened with death and told that their office would be bombed by individuals who had identified themselves as members of GAM. Since then, several of the humanitarian group’s staff and volunteers have received threats by letter and telephone. Along with other groups, the organization has appeared on blacklists believed to be circulated by GAM to village heads and other local officials in a number of districts together with instructions forbidding them from accepting assistance from these organizations.



Background

Aceh is situated in the northernmost part of the island of Sumatra, about 1,000 miles from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. It has a population of around three-and-a-half million people. The Acehnese are often regarded as having a long tradition of resistance to domination by outside authorities. Over the past quarter of a century

Recent UN initiatives aimed at protecting human rights defenders

In recognition of the importance of the work of human rights defenders and the need to make greater efforts to guarantee their safety, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on

the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and

Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (informally

known as the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders) on 9 December 1998, marking the 50th

anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Besides reaffirming that everyone has the right - and the State has a duty - to promote and strive for the protection of human rights, the Declaration also highlights the responsibility of the State to guarantee the protection of human rights defenders. Article 12 reads as follows: 1. Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to participate in peaceful activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms. 2. The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration. 3. In this connection, everyone is entitled, individually and in association with others, to be protected effectively under national law in reacting against or opposing, through peaceful means, activities and acts, including those by omission, attributable to States that result in violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as acts of violence perpetrated by groups or individuals that affect the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. In April 2000 the UN Commission on Human Rights called on all States to promote and give effect to this Declaration. It also requested that the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, appoint for a period of three years, a special representative who should report on the situation of human rights defenders in all parts of the world and on possible means to enhance their protection. On18 August 2000, the UN Secretary General appointed Pakistani human rights lawyer, Hina Jilani as his Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders.



dissatisfaction with Indonesian rule has been largely rooted in economic grievances related to inequalities in the distribution of revenues drawn from the province’s extensive natural resources. Opposition to the Indonesian government has been further fuelled by the repressive policies employed by the security forces in Aceh.

In December 1976 the recently formed armed opposition movement, the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM) declared Aceh to be an independent state. The government responded with force and GAM was largely destroyed within a few years. However, in 1989 GAM re-emerged and carried out a number of attacks against police and military installations which led to renewed military operations in the province.

Counter-insurgency operations by the Indonesian security forces resulted in gross human rights violations, a large number of which were committed against the civilian population. Amnesty International estimates that between 1989 and 1993, two thousand civilians, including children and the very elderly, were unlawfully killed and at least 1,000 people were arbitrarily arrested. Many were held in incommunicado detention and subjected to torture or ill-treatment.2 Although the levels of violations declined in the following years, regular reports of unlawful killings, “disappearances”, arbitrary arrest and torture continued to be received.

Thirty-two years of authoritarian rule in Indonesia ended in May 1998 when former President Suharto was forced to resign in the face of massive popular opposition. The fall of the Suharto government heralded a new era of reform leading to expectations for change throughout Indonesia, including in Aceh. A number of government statements and initiatives provided some basis for optimism. On 7 August 1998, General Wiranto, the Armed Forces Commander at the time, offered an apology for the actions of members of the armed forces in Aceh. He also announced that Aceh’s status as a military operations area (Daerah Operasi Militer - DOM) would be lifted and that all non-organic troops would be withdrawn. 3 A number of investigations into human rights violations during the previous ten years were also initiated, bringing hope to victims and their families that justice would be done.

2 For further details see Indonesia: “Shock Therapy” Restoring Order in Aceh,

1989-1993 (AI Index: ASA 21/07/93, July 1993).

3 Aceh’s status as a DOM area was never publicly declared, but was generally assumed

to apply from 1990. The status of DOM confers considerable powers on the military. The withdrawal of non-organic troops refers to all units which are not within the territorial command structure. Roughly 900 combat troops, mostly from Kopassus and Kostrad units, were withdrawn during August 1998. However, the withdrawals were suspended in early September 2000 after disturbances broke out in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh following a withdrawal ceremony.

Hope proved to be short lived. At the end of 1998 the human rights situation began to deteriorate again following a number of attacks on military and police



personnel and installations in December. Despite doubts about who was responsible, the authorities blamed the attacks on GAM and responded by launching Operasi Wibawa 99 (Operation Authority 1999) in early January 1999, during which scores of people were arrested and dozens killed.

This has been followed by a series of further operations throughout 1999 and 2000. Although these have been headed by the police, they differ little from earlier military operations in that they have been characterized by serious and widespread human rights violations against civilians. The nature of the violations are strikingly similar to those perpetrated in the early 1990s and include unlawful killings, “disappearances” and arbitrary detention. Figures are difficult to determine with any degree of accuracy, but it is estimated that hundreds of people have been unlawfully killed over the past two years. Torture and ill-treatment is routine both inside and outside police or military custody as a means to extract confessions or as a form of punishment or intimidation. Although scores of alleged GAM members have been detained in the past two years, few cases have ever come to trial.

Growing levels of repression are widely seen to have contributed to increased levels of support for a referendum on Aceh’s political future among the population of Aceh. Pressure in support of a referendum reached its height in late 1998 when, on 8 November 1999, over one million people attended a pro-referendum rally in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital. A second pro-referendum rally took place on 10-11 November 2000. However, the security forces blocked people from travelling to Banda Aceh to participate including by opening fire on convoys of vehicles. The total number of people killed remains unconfirmed but is thought to be over 20.

In the meantime, the government engaged in initiatives towards entering into a dialogue with GAM. In May 2000 an accord was signed under which both parties agreed to halt offensive operations to allow the distribution of humanitarian aid and prepare the ground for further negotiations on ending the conflict. Known as the Joint Understanding on Humanitarian Pause for Aceh, it came into force on 2 June 2000 for a period of three months. The agreement initially appeared to result in a decrease in the level of human rights violations. However, within a matter of weeks reported incidents of abuses by both the security forces and GAM escalated once again.

On 24 September 2000 the agreement was extended by an additional three months, until 15 January 2001. At the same time both sides agreed to take all necessary measures to improve the effectiveness of the “humanitarian pause” and reconfirmed their commitment to the early and safe return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), to prevent any new exodus and to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers.

Amnesty International welcomed the acknowledgment by both sides of the importance of measures to protect those working with IDPs and other victims of



human rights violations in Aceh. However, despite these commitments, violations have continued, causing further internal displacement, and cases of violations against human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and other activists have also been reported since the extension of the agreement. An essential component of effective protection must be that those suspected of responsibility for carrying out violations against humanitarian and human rights activists are brought to justice.

GAM Abuses Members of GAM have been responsible for human rights abuses in Aceh both before and after 1998. Information on GAM abuses is often difficult to verify, and is further confused by the many reported cases of abuses which are attributed by the authorities and in the media to unknown third parties. However, there are credible reports of unlawful killings, abductions and torture being carried out by GAM members against both members of the security forces and civilians. Other victims have included alleged military informers and people suspected by GAM of being criminals. There are also credible reports of threats, intimidation and other abuses by GAM against local government officials, religious officials, humanitarian workers and others.

GAM is also reported to be responsible for widespread destruction of government buildings, including schools, and has pressurised government employees to stay away from work so that large parts of the government administration are no longer functioning. Extortion is reported to be carried out by the group on a wide scale and is backed up by threats and intimidation.

The “humanitarian pause” is regarded by some observers as having provided GAM with an opportunity to regroup. Recruitment activity, including recruitment of children, is said by some observers to have intensified since the implementation of the accord. GAM is also said to be extending its influence at village-level and in some areas has taken over local government functions, including the administration of justice.

Investigations and Trials



Since July 1998, a number of official investigations have been initiated into human rights violations in Aceh. Each of these investigations gathered evidence of hundreds of cases of violations committed since 1989 and pointed to involvement of the Indonesian security forces in these violations. However, to Amnesty International’s knowledge only two cases have come to trial in the past two years. One took place in a military tribunal and the other in a joint military/civilian court.

Investigations

July 1998: a parliamentary investigation team (Tim Gabungan Fakta - DPR) was established. In October 1998 it made public provisional findings in which it said that it had received over 1,700 cases of human rights violations, including 426 “disappearances” and 320 unlawful killings.

July and August 1998: The Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia, Komnas HAM) carried out investigations in Aceh. Its preliminary report stated that it had found evidence of at least 781 deaths, 163 “disappearances”, 368 cases of torture and 102 cases of rape committed between 1989 and 1998.

July 1999: The Independent Commission for the Investigation of Violence in Aceh (Komisi Independen Pengusutan Tindak Kekerasan di Aceh, KPTKA) was established by presidential decree. It reported that it had collected information about 5,000 cases of human rights violations in Aceh committed in the past ten years including cases of unlawful killings, torture, “disappearances, arbitrary detention, rape and sexual violence. It recommended that five cases be brought to trial immediately.

November 1999: a parliamentary hearing on Aceh was held in which senior military and government officials were questioned about their role in human rights violations since 1989

“Perhaps the single most important factor contributing to the phenomenon of

disappearances may be that of impunity. The Working Group’s experience over

the past 10 years has confirmed the age-old adage that impunity breeds

contempt for the law. Perpetrators of human rights violations, whether civilian or

military, will become all the more brazen when they are not held to account

before a court of law”

United Nations Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances, 1990 report, paragraph 344.



November 1999: the Attorney General’s office set up an investigation into five cases recommended for prosecution by the KPTKA. The five cases were: a rape case in Pidie which took place in August 1996; cases of torture and “disappearance” between 1997 and 1998 in a facility known as Rumoh Geudong in Pidie; the unlawful killings of seven civilians in Idi Cut, East Aceh in February 1999; the unlawful killing of 35 civilians at Simpang KKA in North Aceh in May 1999; and the unlawful killings of a Muslim cleric and his followers in Blang Meurandah village, West Aceh in July 1999.

Trials

February 1999: Five soldiers were sentenced, by a military tribunal, to between two and six-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for beating to death five detainees in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh the previous month.

April 2000: the first of the five cases being investigated by the Attorney General’s office was brought to trial in a joint civilian/military (koneksitas) court in Banda Aceh. One civilian and 24 soldiers were found guilty of the killing of the Muslim cleric, Teungku Bantaqiah and over 50 of his followers in West Aceh in July 1999. They were sentenced to between eight-and-a-half and ten years’ imprisonment.



Recommendations

Human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and political activists are among the thousands of civilians who have fallen victim to human rights violations in Aceh. Both the Indonesian government and GAM are urged to take measures to prevent such violations and to ensure the protection of human rights defenders and other activists in Aceh. The international community is also urged to address the specific problems faced by human rights defenders, including as part of their ongoing dialogue and donor relations with the Indonesian government.

Amnesty International urges the Indonesian authorities to: • conduct credible investigations into allegations of past and current human

rights violations in Aceh; ensure that those responsible for human rights violations, including those who issued orders to commit such violations, are brought to justice in trials which meet international standards of fairness;

• establish effective programs for the protection of victims and witnesses called

to give testimony or evidence during the judicial process; • ensure that security force personnel are under orders and trained to carry out

their duties in line with international standards of human rights and humanitarian law; in particular, ensure that human rights, humanitarian and political activists, do not become the target of human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions, “disappearances”, extrajudicial executions and torture or ill-treatment;

• take concrete measures to ensure the security of human rights defenders in

Aceh as guaranteed by the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (‘Declaration on Human Rights Defenders’); in particular ensure that human rights defenders have secure, unimpeded and unhindered access to all parts of Aceh and can carry out their work without fear for their safety.

Amnesty International urges GAM to: • make a public commitment to abide by international humanitarian law as

defined in Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, in particular that those taking no active part in hostilities must be treated humanely and must not be subjected to acts of violence such as killing, torture or hostage-taking;



• declare its total opposition to human rights abuses committed against human rights, humanitarian and political activists and ensure that they can carry out their work freely without threats or intimidation;

Amnesty International urges the international community, in particular,

Indonesia’s donor assistance partners, to: • raise the cases detailed above with the Indonesian government and put

pressure on the government to protect the security of human rights defenders and other activists in Aceh in line with the above recommendations;

• develop aid and investment strategies for Indonesia which strengthen human

rights protection and promotion, including support for programs aimed at establishing accountability for the military in civilian courts;

• consider providing funding, training and technical support for human rights

NGOs in Aceh, including those engaged in monitoring and investigating violations and those working with victims of human rights violations, including victims of rape and other forms of torture.



Appendix: Cases of human rights violations perpetrated against human rights

defenders, humanitarian workers and political activists in Aceh.

Anwar Yusuf.

Human rights

defender. Forum

Peduli Hak Asasi

Manusia

detention/

torture

7 Feb

1999

Arrested at his home in East Aceh

by a member of the military. Held in

incommunicado detention and

tortured by the military before being

transferred to police custody.

Released without charge on 10

February 1999. Iman Sentosa &

Zulfan. Student

activists/human-it

arian workers.

People Crisis

Centre - PCC

detention

21 Oct

1999

The two were detained when they

tried to prevent members of the

military and Brimob from entering

an IDP camp in Samalanga

Sub-district, North Aceh.

Muhammad

Haikal & five

other student

activists/human-t

arian workers.

Yayasan Karya

Bersama -

YASMA

detention/

torture

17 Nov

1999

Reported to have been detained by

members of the military in

Bakongan, South Aceh. Said to have

been tortured in custody.

Zairi Karnaini,

M. Dinar, Ahmad

Fadli, Razikin,

Rizal Sabri,

Haikal. Student

activists/

humanitarian

workers

detention/

torture

18 Nov

1999

Taken by the military from an IDP

camp at Ujoing Pulo Mosque, in

Bakongan Sub-district, South Aceh

by the military. Held in military

detention before being moved to

Bakongan Polsek. Five were

released the same day. Haikal was

released on 19 November 1999. All

had been beaten. Juanda + 12

others. Student

activists.

Solidaritas

Mahasiswa untuk

Rakyat - SMUR

torture/ill-treatm

ent

3 Jan

2000

Students from SMUR were beaten

by Brimob at a rememberance day

service for the killing of civilians by

security forces in Lhokseumawe,

North Aceh on 3 January 1999.



Syaifuddin Gani

and Nazaruddin

Ibrahim. Human

rights lawyers

detention 3 Jan

2000

Arrested by police in Sigli town,

Pidie District during a “stop and

search” operation. Released on 7

January 2000. Fachrurrazi.

Student

activist/human-it

arian worker with

Pemuda

Mahasiswa

Rakyat ke Aceh -

Pemraka

possible

“disappearance”

6 Jan

2000

Last seen being questioned and

taken away by members of Brimob

in Simpang Mamplam, in Samalanga

Sub-district, Bireun. No further

information

Rizanur + others.

Student activists/

humanitarian

workers with

People Crisis

Centre - PCC

torture/ill-treatm

ent

19 Jan

2000

Rizanur and other volunteers at the

PCC post in Cot Ijue, Matang

Geulumpang Dua, Aceh Jeumpa,

were beaten when their post was

raided by Brimob and Polri.

Tgk Nashiruddin

Daud.

Politician &

member of

parliamentary

commission of

inquiry into Aceh

possible

extrajudicial

execution

25 Jan

2000

Abducted in Medan on 24 January

2000. His body was found the

following day bearing marks of

torture.

Munir

Human rights

defender with

Forum Peduli

Hak Asasi

Manusia

“disappearance”

26 Jan

2000

Taken from his home in Blang Dhot

Village, Tangse Sub-district, Pidie

by members of Brimob and the TNI.

There is no further information on

his whereabouts.

Sukardi.

Environmental

activist with

Yayasan Rumpun

Bambu Indonesia

- YRBI

torture/

extrajudicial

execution

31 Jan

2000

Went missing on 31 January 2000.

His severely mutilated body was

found the following day in Sawang

Sub-district, South Aceh.

M. Salah, Amri,

Zakaria, Umar,

detention/

torture

14 Feb

2000

Arrested by members of the infantry

battalion Yonif 111 in Jambo Reuhat



Saiful, M Beni,

Taufik. Political

activists with

Komite

Masyarakat

untuk Reformasi

- KOMUR

village, Idi Rayeuk Sub-distict, East

Aceh. Detained in a facility owned

by a state plantation company and

were reportedly subjected to torture.

Released on 15 February 2000.

Effendi Hasan,

Ridwan M, Amri,

Zulkarnaen,

Abdul Manaf +

chauffeur.

Student activists

with Farmidia

detention/

torture

6 Mar

2000

Arrested during a “stop and search”

operation in East Aceh. Held in

police custody for two days. There

are reports that Ridwan M and

possibly others were tortured in

custody.

Radhi

Darmansya.

Student activist

with Farmidia

detention

27 July

2000

Arrested at around midnight by

Brimob during “stop and search”

operations in Sigli, Pidie District.

Released the same day. Jafar Siddiq

Hamzah. Human

rights defender.

International

Forum for Aceh -

IFA

possible

extrajudicial

execution/

torture

5 Aug

2000

Jafar Siddiq Hamzah went missing

on 5 August 2000 in Medan, North

Sumatra. His mutilated body was

found on 2 September 2000 in

Tanoh Karo district, North Sumatra.

Three Oxfam

staff members.

torture

27 Aug

2000

The three local staff members were

tortured by members of Brimob in

Ladang Rimba, South Aceh. Syaukas

Rahmatillah.

Activist

detention/

torture

31 Aug

2000

Taken from his house late in the

evening by approximately 10

members of Brimob. Found the next

day with injuries resulting from

torture.

Amrisaldin.

Humanitarian

worker/SEFA

detention/

torture

5 Sept

2000

Detained by Brimob in Meukek

Sub-district, South Aceh. Held in

police detention where he was

tortured. Released on 6 September

2000.



Muhamed Saleh

and Muzakir.

Political

activists/SIRA

detention/

torture

19 Sept

2000

Abducted from a car repair shop in

Banda Aceh. Held at both Brimob

headquarters in Banda Aceh and

Polres Aceh Besar where they were

subjected to torture. Released on 20

September 2000. Herman.

Student/political

activist with

Mahasiswa

Pemuda Pejuang

Referendum Aceh

- MAPPRA

detention

30 Sept

2000

Detained by Brimob during a stop

and search operation in front of

Polsek Ulee Gle, Bandar Dua

Sub-district, Pidie District. Released

on 1 October 2000.

M Yusuf.

Human rights

activist.

detention

1 Nov

2000

Detained by police during a “stop

and search” operation in

Nurrussalam Sub-district, East Aceh,

apparently because he was carrying

papers relating to the Congress for

Victims of Human Rights in Banda

Aceh which took place in

November. He was released the

same day. Israiliddin.

Human rights

activist

detention

7 Nov

2000

Member of organising committee for

the Congress for Victims of Human

Rights. Detained by Brimob in

Banda Aceh. Rusli & Sofyan.

Student activists/

humanitarian

workers with

People Crisis

Centre - PCC

detention

7 Nov

2000

Detained by police and military in

Julok Sub-district, East Aceh while

assisting with plans for a

pro-independence rally in Banda

Aceh on 10-11 November 2000.

Taufik Abda,

Bustami and

Iqbal. Political

activists

detention

10 Nov

2000

Detained in connection with their

involvement in organizing a

pro-independence rally in Banda

Aceh on 11 November 2000.

Released

indonesia activists at risk in aceh - home | … at risk in aceh 3 amnesty international november...

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