Jakarta – Activists and human rights abuse victims on Sunday refused to join the week-long national mourning for former president Soeharto, saying he did not deserve pardon for his alleged human rights abuses.

Bedjo Untung, chairman of the 1965 Murder Victims Research Foundation (YPKP '65), said in a press conference on Sunday: "I will never do that (hoist the flag half-mast) for a big violator of human rights like Soeharto."

Soeharto died on Sunday at 86 years old after being hospitalized since Jan. 4 for multiple organ failure. Bedjo claimed he was imprisoned by the New Order regime for nine years without trial.

"I was only 17 at that time. They put me in jail because I participated in the Association of Indonesian Student Youth (IPPI), which was a legal organization supported by Indonesian first president Sukarno," he said. He said he was unspeakably tortured during the imprisonment.

Bedjo said he would never forgive Soeharto for what he did in the past. "I am Javanese, people known for their soft attitude, but it's very difficult for me to forgive Soeharto."

Johan Pakasi, a researcher of the 1965 tragedy, echoed Bedjo, saying any attempt to make Soeharto a national hero should be rejected. "We should forbid, for example, using his name as a street name."

He claimed he was jailed for more than 12 years without trial because he was viewed as a defender of Sukarno.

"I believed there are many Indonesians who experienced the same. There were more than three million people killed between 1965 and 1996 and mass graves can be found on any island in Indonesia."

Johan added that the Soeharto regime had also caused suffering to families and relatives of those allegedly linked to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

"They were prohibited from joining political parties or working as civil servants and teachers. They could not even work as preachers or puppeteers and that was simply ridiculous," said Johan, adding that the government should rehabilitate the victims of the 1965 tragedy.

Usman Hamid of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said the death of Soeharto should not end the government's constitutional obligation to rectify past mistakes. "We can not forgive without knowing what truly happened during his regime," he said.

Despite the passing of Soeharto, Usman said, the investigation of human rights violations during his regime should continue and shouldn't have any affect on investigation and prosecution of others responsible for abuse of authority in the past, including the family members and cronies of the former ruler.

Usman said the principle of justice and the rights of the victims demanded the continuation of the legal process against such persons. "Although the actor in these human rights violations can no longer be punished, our responsibilities to the victims do not immediately end."

Usman urged the government to follow up on the findings of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) about Soeharto's acts and omissions. "Soeharto's death is a wake up call for us to speed up the justice process." (alf)