Chris Brummitt, Jantho – Imprisoned Aceh rebel Idris walks free on Wednesday as part of a peace deal with the government, but the scars he claims he sustained at the hands of his captors will remain for life.
The 36-year-old fighter is one of 1,500 insurgents from the tsunami-ravaged region who will receive the amnesty – seen as the first test of the willingness on both sides to comply with the terms of the accord.
Late Tuesday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a decree granting the amnesty for the jailed rebels. "It is a general amnesty for all members of GAM either at home or abroad except those who are involved in criminal cases and armed violence after the signing of the peace deal," State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra announced at the palace. GAM refers to Free Aceh Movement rebels.
The deal, signed in Finland earlier this month, is seen as the best chance Acehnese have had in years to end almost three decades of fighting that has killed nearly 15,000 people in the oil and gas-rich region on Sumatra Island.
Mistrust and bitterness at years of human rights abuses runs deep, however.
Idris, who goes by a single name, recounted how he pleaded to be shot when laughing soldiers attached electrodes to his genitals and beat him with sticks after he was arrested last year.
"Most all of us here have been tortured," he said, showing an Associated Press reporter who visited his prison Tuesday scars on his back and missing teeth that he said were the result of army beatings. "How are we supposed to trust the army?"
Lt. Col. Ery Sudiko, a military spokesman in Aceh, denied the torture, saying such allegation is typical in such a situation. "That is not true. That never happened because the prison was regularly inspected by officials," Sudiko said. "That is clearly a distortion of facts aimed at discrediting the army." Asked about the scars showed by prisoners, Sudiko said: "That is not an accurate evidence."
Despite their allegations of torture, Idris and other rebels said the Helsinki peace deal had a better chance of holding than an internationally mediated truce in 2003, which quickly broke down amid violations on both sides.
Rebels at Jantho prison said Tuesday they would follow the orders of their exiled political wing, but dodged questions as to whether they agreed with its historic decision to drop the movement's independence demand.
"Our leaders' commitment to the people of Aceh is solid and we intend to obey them," said Kardimas Rusli, the most senior rebel in the jail in a hill town some 60 kilometers (40 miles) inland from the capital, Banda Aceh.
In two weeks time, the rebels are scheduled to hand over their weapons and Indonesian troops are to begin a gradual withdrawal. The process is being overseen by monitors from the European Union and Southeast Asian countries.
Aceh lost more than 130,000 people in the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, the highest death toll in the 11 countries affected by the disaster. But the joint suffering endured by its 4.3 million people was a factor in bringing the two sides back to the negotiating table.
Local and international human rights groups have long accused the military of torture, rape and arbitrary killings in Aceh. The military has denied the allegations. The insurgents, who number around 5,000, have also been accused of abuses during the war.
The rebels in Jantho said they were well treated in prison, but were tortured and beaten by officers at police stations and army barracks after their arrests to extract confessions. Most are low-ranking insurgents serving between one and five-year sentences for treason.
The peace accord calls for the creation of a human rights tribunal to bring to justice soldiers accused of abuses. But there is widespread skepticism that the military – still a powerful force in Indonesian politics – will allow any troops to stand trial.
Failure to successfully reintegrate the former rebels, most of whom have lived in jungle camps for many years, into society could lead to a surge in criminality or see them return to rebellion. The government, with the help of international aid groups already in the province helping in tsunami reconstruction projects, plan to provide education and job training schemes for those former insurgents who want to take part.
"It is very important to take care of them," said Hanif Asmara, the head of the region's social affairs department. "They have been away from their families for so long."