June 2023, President Jokowi Launches Non-judicial Heavy Human Rights Settlement Program

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) (Doc: State Secretariat)

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo is scheduled to launch a program to settle non-judicial human rights in June 2023 in Aceh.

"In the coming June, the President of the Republic of Indonesia will kick off the launch of efforts to resolve gross human rights violations non-judicially. This will be carried out in Aceh, the date will still be determined," said Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 2.

Mahfud conveyed this after attending an internal meeting regarding the continuation of recommendations from the Non-Judicial Completion Team for Serious Human Rights Violations (PPHAM) in the past led by President Joko Widodo.

President Jokowi is known to have issued Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 2 of 2023 concerning the Implementation of a Heavy Non-Judicial Settlement Recommendation for Human Rights Violations (PPHAM).

The Presidential Instruction gives 19 tasks to ministries and institutions to implement PPHAM recommendations, namely first, restore victims' rights to incidents of gross human rights violations fairly and wisely and secondly, preventing gross human rights violations from happening again.

"The place is at three points, namely at Simpang Tiga (Aceh Besar), Rumah Geudong, and Pos Sattis and Jambu Keupok. Data already has a source that will be crossed again," said Mahfud.

The launch of the program will later take the form of a learning park or a living park about human rights.

"In the kick-off later, we will also announce to citizens who were victims of gross human rights violations in the past and are still abroad or who we know as exil terms," added Mahfud.

According to Mahfud, the excavators who were abroad were due to the G30 S/PKI incident who were not allowed to return from abroad.

"Because at that time they were sent to school by President Soekarno to various countries in Eastern Europe, in Europe and the RRT. As soon as they finished (school) it turned out that the G30S/PKI incident was not allowed to go home at that time, so there are still some abroad, later we will invite them. They are not members of the PKI," said Mahfud.

One example of a student who could not go home because of the G30 S/PKI incident was the 3rd President BJ Habibie.

"He studied in Germany in 1960 in 1963 and graduated from his master and continued his doctorate. He graduated from the doctor, exactly at the end of 1965, the G30S/PKI incident occurred, he was one of those people who were originally not allowed to go home, but in 1974 he met President Suharto when he visited Germany and they happened to know him, he said, 'Habibie, how come you are here?' (answered) 'I can't go home sir'. 'Well why?' (answered) 'There is a policy because of the 1965 incident, we can't go home'. Then by Mr. Harto was invited to go home and be a big man who later became president," Mahfud explained.

According to Mahfud, there are still 39 excavators abroad living in Russia, Prague, Croatia, the Netherlands and other countries.

"Later we will check this one by one, even though they do not want to go home, we will declare them citizens who have never betrayed the state because the betrayal of the country has been completed in court, it has been completed in the reform era, where screening and so on was removed and then all citizens were given the same rights before the law and government," said Mahfud.

President Jokowi previously regretted gross human rights violations in 12 incidents, namely the 1965-1966 incident, the 1982-1985 Mysterious Shooting incident, the Talangsari eristiwa, Lampung 1989, the Rumoh Geudong and Sattis Post, Aceh 1989, the 1997-1998 Mass Disappearance event, and the May 1998 Riots.

Furthermore, the Trisakti and Semanggi I - II 1998-1999 incidents, the 1998-1999 Dukun Santet Murder incident, the KKA Intersection, Aceh 1999, the Wasior, Papua 2001-2002 events, the Wamena, Papua 2003 events, and the Jambo Keupok events, Aceh 2003.