Provide Reparations to Victims!

Indonesia: Provide Reparations to Victims of Gross Human Rights Violations

JAKARTA, Dec. 12, 2011—A report released today by the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), together with the Indonesian Association for Families of the Disappeared (IKOHI) and the Coalition for Justice and Truth (KKPK), calls on the government of Indonesia to fulfill its obligation to provide reparations to thousands of victims of gross violations of human rights.

“In commemorating Human Rights Day we want to acknowledge the plight of the many victims of human rights abuses in Indonesia who continue to languish in a vicious cycle of discrimination and poverty. We urge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to take immediate steps, working with our national human rights institutions, to provide comprehensive reparations—including an official apology, compensation, and support—and work to annul discriminatory laws and regulations,” said Galuh Wandita, head of ICTJ’s Indonesia program.

Based on discussions held with victims in Jakarta, Kendal, Medan, Makassar, Jayapura, Banda Aceh, and Kupang, the report identifies victims’ own priorities and outlines short- and long-term steps the government should take to develop a comprehensive reparations program.

“Our research, spanning from Aceh to Papua, found that many victims of gross human rights violations are still living under unacceptable circumstances,” said Mugiyanto, coordinator of IKOHI and co-convener of KKPK. “Victims and their children experience serious discrimination. Without official acknowledgment, apology, and government support, they remain trapped in cycles of victimization and are unable to fully heal. Ignoring this obligation to provide reparations puts the gains we have made in strengthening human rights and democracy in Indonesia at risk.”

The report, titled “Indonesia’s Obligations to Provide Reparations for Victims of Gross Human Rights Violations,” (http://ictj.org/sites/default/files/ICTJ-Indonesia-Reparations-Policy-Briefing-2011-English.pdf) will be presented during Indonesia’s first human rights hearing, organized jointly by the National Human Rights Commission, the Women’s Commission, and the Children’s Commission, in Jakarta December 12, 2011 at the National Library Building (Gedung Perpustakaan Nasional RI), on Salemba Raya No. 28 A, Jakarta Pusat, from 9am to 5pm.