Jakarta – The Information Center for Aceh Referendum (SIRA) will soon file lawsuit against the Indonesian Police Chief General Surojo Bimantoro over the murder of three human rights activists in South Aceh on March 29. We will file lawsuit against the Police Chief, said SIRA Presidium Ridwan in Jakarta on the weekend.

The murder of three human rights activists Teungku Al Kamal (member of South Aceh Monitoring Team), Suprin Sulaiman (a lawyer), and Amiruddin (driver of the monitoring team) is widely seen as an indication that the government is unwilling to protect human rights activists. Aceh-based SIRA and Jakartas chapter of SIRA strongly deplored the murder of the three activists. They said the incident strongly indicates that the central government in Jakarta is not committed to protecting human rights defenders and human rights workers.

Furthermore, the murder of the three human rights workers was a complete betrayal of the human rights declaration. It also means an increase in the number of casualties. The incident is very damaging to efforts for a peaceful solution to Aceh conflicts, he said.

A report from the coalition of Aceh-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) revealed that the murder took place on March 29 shortly after midday. On that day, Suprin was accompanying Teungku Al Kamal to a testimony at the South Aceh District Police over the rape of five girls.

Both were picked up by the monitoring team driver. At about 4pm the car of the monitoring team went to Blang Pidie, meanwhile a car driven by security forces was also sighted. A moment later, locals heard gunshots from a hilly location in Meukek, South Aceh.

A farmer confirmed that he saw a car driven by security forces around the same time he saw the monitoring teams car, which had stopped at Jambo Tuak, nearby Meukek, Ridwan said. Locals later found the three men dead inside the car.

In a press release on Friday, US embassy in Jakarta deplored the senseless and brutal murder of the three Indonesians involved in the peace process in the restless Aceh province. The US embassy has demanded the Indonesian government to investigate the killings.