Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The House of Representatives will ask President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to set up an ad hoc court to hear rights abuse cases from 1998 and 1999, allegedly involving retired Army generals and police officers.
Speaker Agung Laksono said Thursday a letter would be sent to the President after a House leadership meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, which will follow up on recommendations from House Commission III overseeing legal, human rights and security affairs.
The commission recently recommended reopening investigations into the Trisakti shootings in 1998 and the Semanggi shootings in 1998 and 1999.
Four students were killed in the Trisakti incident and a total of 18 people, mostly protesters, died in the two Semanggi incidents.
"The recommendation will be brought to the leadership meeting for endorsement before the letter is delivered to the President," Agung said after receiving the recommendation.
Commission III recommended reopening the investigations after the National Commission on Human Rights said it had found evidence of gross human rights abuses in its 2005 investigation into the three incidents.
The House carried out an investigation in 2003 and announced it had found no gross human rights abuses in the cases. However, the results of this investigation were annulled last year, following a change in the political climate and in the face of increasing demands that the perpetrators of these shootings be brought to justice.
Commission III chairman Trimedya Panjaitan said it recommended the reopening of the investigations after Attorney General Abdurrahman Saleh declined to follow up on the results of the national rights body's investigation into the shootings.
"During the hearing with the Attorney General last Thursday, my commission offered preliminary evidence that indicated gross human rights abuses in the tragedies, but he remained reluctant to look into the results of the rights body's investigation," Trimedya said.
During the hearing with the commission, the Attorney General brushed aside the rights body's findings, saying it did not have the authority to investigate the tragedies.
Trimedya said that according to the 2000 law on ad hoc trials for rights violations, the rights body does have the right to investigate alleged rights abuses. He also denied the House had a political agenda in calling for the reopening of the three cases ahead of the 2009 presidential election.
Former defense minister/Indonesian Military chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto, who is allegedly connected to the three cases, recently confirmed he would be seeking the nomination for the presidential election.
The names of Defense Ministry secretary-general Lt. Gen. Safrie Sjamsudin and former Army Special Forces commander Prabowo Subianto have also come up in connection with the cases. All three have denied any involvement in rights abuses.