We the undersigned organizations call upon the U.S. government to strictly prohibit any U.S. cooperation with or assistance to the Indonesian Special Forces (Kopassus).
This force, more than any other in the Indonesian military, stands accused by the Indonesian people of some of the most egregious human rights violations. The annual human rights report of the U.S. Department of State, the East Timor's (Timor-Leste) truth commission (CAVR), United Nations human rights monitors, and the full range of Indonesian and international human rights have reported in detail the many crimes of Kopassus. Those responsible for these violations continue to enjoy broad impunity for their actions, even in a democratizing Indonesia.
The history of Kopassus human rights violations, its criminality and its unaccountability before Indonesian courts extends back decades and includes human rights and other crimes in East Timor, Aceh, West Papua and elsewhere. In 1998, a program – organized and led by then Kopassus commander (and recent vice- presidential candidate) General Prabowo Subianto – kidnapped, tortured and killed pro-democracy activists. Prabowo told reporters he is unrepentant over these crimes saying, "we could say it was preventative detention." Other well-documented Kopassus crimes include organizing anti-Chinese rioting in Jakarta in 1998 and the 1984 massacre at Tanjung Priok in Java.
Throughout 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation of East Timor, Kopassus personnel, tortured and killed civilians in an attempt to intimidate and terrorize the population. Kopassus personnel played a key role, including organizing militia proxies, in the violence and destruction during 1999, the occupation's final year.
The crimes of Kopassus are not only in the past. A recently published Human Rights Watch report details ongoing Kopassus human right violations in West Papua. The report documents how Kopassus soldiers "arrest Papuans without legal authority, and beat and mistreat those they take back to their barracks."
Those who favor engagement argue that U.S. training could lead to reform of Kopassus. This argument is clearly refuted by history. For decades, the U.S. trained and gave other assistance to Kopassus personnel, including General Prabowo and other leading officers. This relationship had no ameliorative affect, rather, it provided the equipment and skills used for repression.
U.S. law prohibits the training of military units with a history of involvement in human rights violations. This provision has been long been interpreted as narrowly as possible. However, in 2008, the State Department ruled that the ban, known as the Leahy law, applies to Kopassus as a whole. We believe that this ruling should apply and the U.S. must continue to refuse to train Kopassus.
Sincerely,
John M. Miller, National Coordinator
East Timor and Indonesia Action Network
We the undersigned organizations call upon the U.S. government to strictly prohibit any U.S. cooperation with or assistance to the Indonesian Special Forces (Kopassus).
This force, more than any other in the Indonesian military, stands accused by the Indonesian people of some of the most egregious human rights violations. The annual human rights report of the U.S. Department of State, the East Timor's (Timor-Leste) truth commission (CAVR), United Nations human rights monitors, and the full range of Indonesian and international human rights have reported in detail the many crimes of Kopassus. Those responsible for these violations continue to enjoy broad impunity for their actions, even in a democratizing Indonesia.
The history of Kopassus human rights violations, its criminality and its unaccountability before Indonesian courts extends back decades and includes human rights and other crimes in East Timor, Aceh, West Papua and elsewhere. In 1998, a program – organized and led by then Kopassus commander (and recent vice- presidential candidate) General Prabowo Subianto – kidnapped, tortured and killed pro-democracy activists. Prabowo told reporters he is unrepentant over these crimes saying, "we could say it was preventative detention." Other well-documented Kopassus crimes include organizing anti-Chinese rioting in Jakarta in 1998 and the 1984 massacre at Tanjung Priok in Java.
Throughout 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation of East Timor, Kopassus personnel, tortured and killed civilians in an attempt to intimidate and terrorize the population. Kopassus personnel played a key role, including organizing militia proxies, in the violence and destruction during 1999, the occupation's final year.
The crimes of Kopassus are not only in the past. A recently published Human Rights Watch report details ongoing Kopassus human right violations in West Papua. The report documents how Kopassus soldiers "arrest Papuans without legal authority, and beat and mistreat those they take back to their barracks."
Those who favor engagement argue that U.S. training could lead to reform of Kopassus. This argument is clearly refuted by history. For decades, the U.S. trained and gave other assistance to Kopassus personnel, including General Prabowo and other leading officers. This relationship had no ameliorative affect, rather, it provided the equipment and skills used for repression.
U.S. law prohibits the training of military units with a history of involvement in human rights violations. This provision has been long been interpreted as narrowly as possible. However, in 2008, the State Department ruled that the ban, known as the Leahy law, applies to Kopassus as a whole. We believe that this ruling should apply and the U.S. must continue to refuse to train Kopassus.
Sincerely,
John M. Miller, National Coordinator
East Timor and Indonesia Action Network
Signed
- Mark C. Johnson, Ph.D., Executive Director The Fellowship of Reconciliation
- Dave Robinson, Executive Director Pax Christi USA
- Mubarak Awad, President Nonviolence International
- Jim Winkler, General Secretary United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
- Kevin Martin, Executive Director Peace Action and Peace Action Education Fund
- Land is Life
- SOA Watch
- West Papua Advocacy Team
- Marie Dennis, Director (Rev.) James Kofski, M.M., Asia/Pacific and Middle East Issues Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
- Mary Anne Mercer, DrPH, Deputy Director Director of Timor-Leste Operations Health Alliance International
- Marie Lucey, OSF, Associate Director, Leadership Conference of Women Religious
- Sharon Silber, Chair, U.S. Section Society for Threatened Peoples
- Carol Jahnkow, Executive Director Peace Resource Center of San Diego
- Rosemarie Pace, Director Pax Christi Metro New York
- Mary Beaudoin, Director Women Against Military Madness
- Eileen B. Weiss, Co-Founder Jews Against Genocide
- Ecumenical Peace Institute/CALC
- Elaine Donovan Concerned Citizens for Peace, Honeoye, NY
- Jeffrey Ballinger, Executive Director Press for Change
- Diana Bohn Nicaragua Center for Community Action (NICCA) Berkeley, CA
- Bruce K. Gagnon, Coordinator Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
- Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace Olympia, WA
- Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service Oakland, CA
- Mary T. Whittlinger, Treasurer GOMA (Ecumenical Moluccan Church).
- Ben Manski, Executive Director Liberty Tree
- Blase Bonpane, Ph.D., Director Office of the Americas
- Pierre Labossiere, Haiti Action Committee
- David Swanson After Downing Street
- Joanne Landy and Thomas Harrison, Co-Directors Campaign for Peace and Democracy New York City
- Diane Farsetta, Coordinator Madison (Wis.)-Ainaro (East Timor) Sister-City Alliance
- Joan Kirby, UN Representative Temple of Understanding
- Rev. John Chamberlin, National Coordinator East Timor Religious Outreach
- Zelia Cordeiro and Felix Jones, Executive Team Members VIVAT International
- The Greater Boston United for Justice with Peace Coalition
- Michael Eisenscher, Coordinator Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace & Justice (LC4PJ)
- Mass Peace Action
- Daniel LeBlanc, DPI/NGO Representative at the UN Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
- Roger S. Clark Board of Trustees International League for Human Rights.
- Alan Muller, Executive Director Green Delaware
- WESPAC Foundation
- Mariza Costa Cabral ETAN/Seattle
- Bill Ramsey Human Rights Action Service, St. Louis, MO
- Peaceful Response Coalition Portland, OR
- East Timor Action Network/Portland (OR)
- Seattle International Human Rights Coalition
- John J. Witeck, Coordinator Philippine Workers Support Committee Honolulu, Hawaii
- Ben Gordon Pax Christi New Orleans
- Jim Haber War Resisters League/West
- Ellen E Barfield former national Vice-President, co-founder Baltimore Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter Veterans for Peace
- David McReynolds, former chair War Resisters International
- Leslie Cagan Former co-chair United for Peace and Justice*
- Sam Diener, Co-Editor Peacework Magazine, AFSC*
- Robert Hanson, Past Chair, Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center* Walnut Creek, CA
- Dr. Brad Simpson Asst. Professor of History and International Affairs, Princeton University Director, Indonesia and East Timor Documentation Project*
- S. Eben Kirksey, Ph.D. Center for Cultural Studies, University of California, WPAT
- Peter Bohmer, faculty in economics and political economy The Evergreen State College. Olympia, WA
* organization for identification purposes only.