Indonesian human rights activists have strongly criticized a move to offer money to families of enforced disappearance victims as a ploy to clean up tainted image of retired army general and President-elect Prabowo Subianto.

The Association of Families of the Disappeared (IKOHI) which fights for justice for victims of enforced disappearances during a 1997-1998 crackdown when Subianto was a top military general, described the move as "transactional politics."

During a press conference on Aug. 15, the association said Subianto's party seeks to silence families of the victims from demanding legal action against him.

"For IKOHI, such methods are unethical and are nothing more than a short-sighted attempt to manipulate the economic vulnerability and physical exhaustion of the victims' families in seeking justice that has yet to be upheld by state authorities," said Zaenal Muttaqien, the association's working committee secretary general said during the press meet.

The reaction came after media reports said the leadership of Subianto's nationalist Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) plans to offer one billion rupiah (US$63,711) to each of the families of 14 disappearance victims.

The decision was reportedly taken during a party meeting in a hotel in the national capital Jakarta held on Aug. 1-3.

Some families reportedly received the money, and some have refused the offer.

Muttaqien said while one victim's representative attended the meeting and supported the plan, most do not back the move.

For example, he said, Fajar Merah, the son of disappearance victim Wiji Tukul, refused the money. However, his other family members reportedly agreed to accept the offer.

Wahyu Susilo, the younger brother of Wiji Tukul said "the meeting did not represent all the families of the missing activists."

"Until now, we have consistently demanded that the state, including Prabowo Subianto, be held accountable," he said.

Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia said, giving money to the families of the victims "cannot be used as an excuse to whitewash the state's obligation to continue to prosecute the perpetrators, punish them, and continue to seek and provide the truth about the fate of those who disappeared."

He said that the families of the missing have the right to justice, truth, restitution, and to receive guarantees so that similar human rights violations do not happen again.

"As long as the fate and whereabouts of those who have disappeared have not been clearly determined, then the crime is considered to be ongoing under international law," Hamid said.

Paian Siahaan, the father of Ucok Siahaan, an activist who disappeared in 1998, admitted to receiving the money, and called it "a compassionate donation."

"Mr. Prabowo might see, this person as pitiful, he has fought for a long time, 25 years, some are already vulnerable, sickly," he said.

However, he claimed there was no agreement for the family to stop demanding justice.

During the crackdown under the military dictatorship of Suharto, at least 23 dissidents and activists were kidnapped in 1997-1998, according to rights groups. Nine of them were later released, one was found dead, and 13 remain missing.

Subianto, the son-in-law of Suharto, was accused of gross rights violations during the crackdown. He was dismissed from the military in 1998 and later the US government banned him from entering the country.

In 1999, a military court found 11 members of a military unit guilty of kidnapping nine activists.

Subianto, who admitted to ordering the kidnappings, never faced a civilian court trial.

In 2009, parliament recommended that an ad hoc court should be formed to further investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of the abductions. The court was never established.

Subianto,72, won the presidential election on Feb. 14 this year reportedly with the backing of current president Joko Widodo. He served as the defense minister under the Widodo administration. He is scheduled to be sworn in as president in October.

Source: https://www.ucanews.com/news/activists-slam-bribe-for-kin-of-indonesias-disappeared/10608