Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – Angry human rights activists are set to carry their opposition to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's choice of Comr. Gen. Timur Pradopo to be National Police chief to the courts, claiming the selection violated procedures, despite the proposed new chief sailing through the House of Representatives on Thursday.

Indria Fernida, deputy director of the National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said his organization was preparing a lawsuit to challenge the appointment.

"Once we have prepared all the necessary paperwork on the suit, we shall file it to the PTUN [Indonesian Administrative Court]," Indria said on Sunday, claiming that Yudhoyono had violated Article 11 of Law No. 2 of 2002 on the National Police, which stipulates that proposals made by a president on either the appointment or dismissal of a police chief must be accompanied by a clear justification.

"The president has never once said why Timur was chosen as police chief, when this is a clear procedure that must be followed," Indria said. The lawsuit is being filed in collaboration with other human rights organizations, including the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial).

Imparsial executive director Poengky Indarti said his group was committed to opposing Timur, but the reason has little to do with procedure and everything to do with Timur's record.

"We will never stay silent. Everybody must respect human rights and justice for all victims. A human rights violator should be brought to trial, and not end up as National Police chief," Poengky said, referring to Timur's controversial tenure as West Jakarta police chief. In May 1998 officers under his command shot and killed four students at Trisakti University who were protesting against former President Suharto, who stepped down a short time later following widespread rioting.

The House fit-and-proper test that approved Timur last week was also lambasted by activists as half-hearted. After 11 hours of questioning, all nine factions in House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, approved the candidate.

Commenting on accusations by rights activists that he had played a part in the Trisakti shootings, Timur told lawmakers on Thursday that he had only been following orders. "I did not break any law. The strategy and tactics were not dictated at my level but by my superior," Timur said.

Later, he was Central Jakarta Police chief when 11 people were shot and killed during a protest near the Semanggi overpass in November 1998.

Timur said he had ignored summonses for questioning over the shootings by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) because there was an institutional policy against such cooperation at the National Police.

Poengky says that Timur could face barriers if he travels to Europe or the United States. "His status could be the same as Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who failed to obtain a US visa," Poengky said, referring to Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin who was implicated in a massacre in East Timor while he was serving with the Army's Kopassus special forces unit.