Jokowi Asks Cabinet to Follow Up on Completion of 12 Serious Human Rights Cases

President Jokowi delivered an introductory speech at the Plenary Cabinet Session at the State Palace, Jakarta, Monday (16/1/2023). (Between-Sigid Kurniawan)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has instructed the ministers of the Onward Indonesia Cabinet to follow up on efforts to resolve 12 serious human rights cases, following his statement regarding the admission of past gross human rights violations on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

"This morning we asked all relevant ministers, especially from a human rights perspective, to follow up on what I announced last week", Jokowi said at the State Palace, Jakarta, Monday, January 16, reported by Antara.

The President has asked all relevant ministries to jointly follow up on the non-judicial handling of statements he has made regarding the handling of past gross human rights violations.

According to the President, this was one of the points instructed in the first plenary cabinet meeting in 2023.

"We must strengthen the foundations for political stability, democracy, legal certainty, a sense of justice, and upholding human rights", said Jokowi.

On a separate occasion, the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Mahfud MD after a cabinet meeting said President Jokowi would issue a presidential instruction for 17 ministries/government agencies (K/L) to work on the recommendations of the Team for the Non-Judicial Resolution of Serious Human Rights Violations Past (PPHAM).

One of President Jokowi's directives was to assign the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs with Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Minister of Law and Human Rights Yassona H. Laoly to gather Indonesian citizens (WNI) victims of past gross human rights violations who are now in Eastern Europe to obtain restoration of their rights.

Then, the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono was tasked with ensuring the construction and/or repair of infrastructure in locations where past gross human rights violations occurred.

Previously, President Jokowi on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, stated that the Indonesian government acknowledged that there had been gross human rights violations in 12 incidents in the past.

The President expressed his deep sympathy and empathy for the victims, ensured that the government would try to restore victims' rights fairly and wisely without negating efforts for a judicial settlement, and made serious efforts so that gross human rights violations would not occur again in Indonesia in the future. come.

The 12 events are the 1965-1966 incident, the mysterious shootings 1982-1985, the Talangsari incident in Lampung 1989, the Rumoh Geudong and Pos Sattis incidents in Aceh 1989, the 1997-1998 forced disappearance incident, and the May 1998 riots.

Then, the 1998-1999 Trisakti and Semanggi I-II incidents, the 1998-1999 witchcraft killings, the 1999 Aceh KKA Simpang incident, the 2001-2002 Wasior Papua incident, the 2003 Wamena Papua incident, and the 2003 Jambo Keupok Aceh incident.