Tuai Critics After Calling The Tragedy Not A Serious Human Rights Violation, Mahfud MD: Too, Don't You Know Komnas HAM Report?

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD/DOK Instagram @mohmahfudmd

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD casually responded to criticism from the Civil Society Coalition after he called the tragedy not a gross human rights violation (HAM). He quipped and questioned those who criticized his statement. "I'm quoting Komnas HAM's report. The official report from the Komnas HAM on the Kangeruhan Tragedy does have indications of a criminal act but not a gross human rights violation. Do civilians not know the Komnas HAM report? Too much," Mahfud said in a written statement, Wednesday, January 4. Mahfud even quipped that the coalition was often wrong. They are considered not to understand the differences in gross human rights violations and serious crimes. "This gross human rights violation can only be determined by Komnas HAM. Apart, Komnas HAM itself said that the chaos tragedy was not a gross human rights violation," said the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK). Mahfud even gave an example, civil society once called persecution by a group of people to murder a gross human rights violation. This happened in 2019, when he mentioned that in the era of President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) administration there had never been any gross human rights violations. "Hahaha, apparently they do not understand the juridical term that gross human rights violations are different from serious crimes," he said. The Civil Society Coalition criticized Mahfud MD's statement that the tragedy was not a serious violation. Kontrast Coordinator Fatia Maulidiyanti assessed that the statement made by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs could be misleading. "The coalition considers that the statement made by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs is baseless and misleading, because the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs does not have the authority to declare an event is a gross human rights violation or not," Fatia said in a written statement, Tuesday, January 3. The Civil Society Coalition consists of a number of institutions ranging from the Malang postal Surabaya Legal Aid Institute (LBH Malang), the Surabaya Legal Aid Institute (LBH Surabaya), the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), the Lokataru Foundation, and the IM57+. For information, the Kanjuruhan Tragedy occurred on October 1 last. There were 135 supporters of Arema FC or Aremania who died after the police fired tear gas after the referee blew the whistle signaling Arema FC's match against Persebaya was over. At that time, this shot actually caused panic. Apart from the death toll, this incident also injured hundreds of Aremania.