Jakarta – Some Indonesian NGOs – including Kontras (Commission for Missing Persons & Victims of Violence), YLBHI (Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute), and ELSAM (Institute for Policy Research & Advocacy) – suspect that the Attorney General's Office (AGO) has tried to cover up Wiranto's involvement in violating human rights in East Timor after the 1999 referendum. The AGO failed to place Wiranto's name on the list of 12 suspects that would be submitted to the Human Rights Ad Hoc Court.
"The National Commission on Human Rights, represented by the investigating commission on human rights violations (KPP-HAM), had reported some TNI high ranking officials, including Wiranto," said the coordinator of Kontras working committee, Munarman, today.
In its report to the ad hoc court which was formed by the Supreme Court and the Justice and Human Rights Department, the AGO investigation team mentioned personnel allegedly involved in violating human rights in East Timor. The report does not mention the four highest ranking military officials that have been reported by KPP-HAM as being most responsibility for security in East Timor. The four are Wiranto, Johny Lumintang, Zacky Anwar and HR Garnadi. A source has confirmed that Wiranto is one of the suspects reported by KPP-HAM.
"The AGO investigation team is playing a political game to protect the [four] personnel. It is really stalling the enforcement of human rights," Munarman said. In the report, the AGO investigation team only mentions officials at controlling level. Munarman said that these officials only conducted tasks in accordance with policies set by their commanders, and it is therefore those commanders that must take responsibility for the incidents in East Timor.
Some NGOs demanded that the AGO confirm that its suspects list does not include high ranking officials. They suggested that the law establishing the Human Rights Court is not sufficient to stop the practice of impunity. "We are afraid that the same practice will be applied to other cases, such as the Tanjung Priok case," Munarman said.