Panca Nugraha, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara – The National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has detected strong indications of human rights violations behind the settlement of Ahmadi refugees in Wisma Transito in Mataram for the past seven years.
Not only have the basic rights of the Ahmadis been systematically neglected, Komnas also deemed that the house was no longer a proper place to shelter the refugees.
"They are living together, separated only by cabinets and curtains.This, of course, has given them no privacy and has caused discomfort," Komnas HAM deputy chief Imdadud Rahmat said on Thursday.
He said Komnas HAM, along with the Witness and Victims Protection Agency (LPSK), the Ombudsman Commission and the National Commission for Women's Rights had met with the West Nusa Tenggara administration, represented by provincial secretary H Muhammad Nur to discuss the allegations of human rights and administrative violations suffered by the Ahmadi refugees.
He said according to the Komnas report, the local administration had done little to provide solutions for the Ahmadis. He added that the assistance was still limited to providing temporary shelter and keeping anti-Ahmadiyah mobs at bay but never in the form of a comprehensive solution.
"We have recommended the local government relocate them to a better place," he said.
As many as 116 Ahmadis who lived at Wisma Transito had earlier complained that they had been denied ID cards and birth certificates for their children. They claimed the absence of ID cards had prevented them from gaining access to facilities provided by the government, like the temporary cash assistance that was recently issued as compensation for the hike in fuel prices.
Commenting on this, Muhammad Nur denied the allegation that the local administration had done little to provide a solution for the Ahmadis. He said the local government had organized a series of discussions and empowerment programs involving local clerics that had been aimed at assisting them back into society.
Regarding the absence of ID cards, however, Muhammad said he had coordinated with related agencies to immediately issue ID cards for the Ahmadis.
When asked about the empowerment programs, Ahmadi refugee coordinator Syahidin confirmed that there were a series of empowerment programs organized but then they suddenly stopped.
"We were promised loans but then we found out that it was just an empty promise," he said.
The Ahmadis were evacuated from their village in West Lombok in 2006 because they were accused of having tainted Islam by hardline Islamists.(dic)