Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – A visiting Argentinian chief justice has said public support and the government's strong will are the key factors for any administration to bring human rights violators to justice.

Ricardo Li Rosi, chairman of the Argentina-based International Judiciary Academy (IJA), said each nation had its own specific challenges in law enforcement, especially involving rights abuses.

"The [Argentinian] government has strong political will to enforce the law in favor of victims of rights violations. Meanwhile, the people's strong support for justice has encouraged our government to stick to this commitment," Li Rosi said at a meeting with the Indonesian Advocates Association (Peradi) on Monday.

During the meeting, Li Rosi emphasized that the independence of (Indonesian) advocates would help promote law enforcement because "law will not work properly unless advocates, and other legal forces, uphold truth and justice".

Cooperation between Peradi and the IJA began on Monday when Li Rosi met leaders and members of Peradi at their headquarters in West Jakarta. During the meeting, Li Rosi proposed an exchange program for advocates to learn from each other.

"The world is in a process of globalization, which will undoubtedly affect both Argentina and Indonesia. We believe that our countries play significant roles in our regions. For this reason, it's important for us to support each other," Li Rosi said, adding that exchanging members to assess each other's performance would be one of the efforts.

IJA is a non-profit educational institution based in Buenos Aires and Washington, DC, which provides education for judges, court administrators, ministry of justice officials and other legal professionals. Established in October 1999, the institution promotes fair, efficient, accessible and transparent court systems.

During his visit to Peradi, Li Rosi applauded Indonesia for being committed to fair judicial systems amid growing democracy.

Peradi chairman Otto Hasibuan said that his institution would treasure the partnership with the IJA as it would undoubtedly enrich his organization. "The United States has been our direction for justice matters. Therefore, we are sure that Argentina will teach us something new and vice versa" he said.