Indonesia's attack on Aceh separatist rebels and the imposition of martial law in the province have brought new dangers for human rights activists, Amnesty International said.
"There is now serious concern for the safety of all human rights defenders in [Aceh], some of whom have already been subjected to human rights violations," the London-based rights group said in a statement on Wednesday.
Amnesty said rights activists were banned from the province and international humanitarian organisations were being encouraged by the authorities to leave. Journalists faced increasing restrictions and the military had threatened to sue one daily newspaper for reporting rights violations, it said.
Amnesty described the situation in Aceh, where a major military assault on the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is in its 16th day, as dire. "Grave human rights violations have been reported. The population of internally displaced persons, forced from their homes because of the conflict, is estimated to be several tens of thousands." It said this figure was set to rise dramatically if the authorities carried out plans to transfer 200,000 civilians into special camps.
Normal economic activity had virtually halted and hundreds of schools had been burnt down, allegedly by GAM, it said.
Amnesty appealed to Indonesia to abide by a United Nations declaration and give domestic and international rights monitors full access in Aceh. International aid agencies should be allowed to deliver supplies directly. "Amnesty International is concerned that the government's insistence that all aid should be channelled through the authorities risks creating additional and unnecessary suffering for the civilian population," it said.
Amnesty said the National Commission on Human Rights, known as Komnas HAM, should be allowed to investigate allegations of abuses, as should UN officials. The organisation noted that Acehnese rights groups are unpopular with both the authorities and the rebels.
"Since 2000, fourteen human rights defenders are believed to have been extrajudicially executed, others have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and 'disappeared'. In not one case have the perpetrators been brought to justice." Amnesty said rights organisations were among those publicly accused by the security forces of being linked to GAM "and are therefore considered legitimate targets for arrest and detention." The organisation said the removal by "threats, intimidation and other means" of independent monitors mirrored the situation in East Timor in 1999.
Rather than attempting to "drive out" professionals who could help the government prevent rights violations and deliver aid, authorities should be making every effort to work with them and protect them, Amnesty said.