[hr-education] Training on human rights monitoring in Aceh halted by raid

Press release
Paris-Geneva, October 21st, 2003

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
program of the FIDH and the OMCT, expresses its concern at the recent raid
against a training programme on Human Rights monitoring, organized by a
governmental body, the National Human Rights Commission (KOMNAS HAM) on
October 19th, in the province of Aceh, Indonesia.

Since martial law began on May 19th, 2003, KOMNAS HAM has set up a body to
conduct human rights monitoring in Aceh, headed by Mr. Billah, the head of
KOMNAS HAM's Aceh team. Mr. Billah is also the facilitator of the raided
training session that is supposed to take place from October 19th to
October 23rd. Before this training course, KOMNAS HAM had informed the
regional martial law authority (PDMD) and also Polresta, the Police
authority in Banda Aceh, that they would be holding this course.

On October 20th, during the morning session, two military representatives
from the PDMD were included in the training programme, based on their
request to be included as "participants". At lunchtime, both of them left
the training session and at 3 p.m., around 20 troops and 20 police
officers came to the Seulawah pavilion where the training session was
being held.  They turned off the lights in order to sabotage the training
programme. The members of the military and the police tried to come in,
but Mr. Billah prevented them from doing so. They asked for the lists of
participants, but Mr. Billah refused to give it to them and also refused
to stop the meeting, leading to an exchange of words and negotiations with
the police who wanted to take him to headquarters for questioning.

On October 21st, PDMD troops still occupied the Seulawah pavilion. The
police members denied that they had been informed about the training
course and members of the military said that permission was needed to hold
it. As part of the government, KOMNAS HAM clearly does not require
permission to hold such a session. Since that time, the training session
has been interrupted.

The Observatory is particularly concerned for the personal integrity of
the participants in the training session, as the military are seeking to
gain a list of their identities, and there are serious concerns that their
integrity may be at risk as a result of this.

The Observatory urges the Indonesian authorities to ensure that the KOMNAS
HAM training sessions be allowed to resume without any incident or
interference from the military and police and to stop any kind of
harassment or repression against human rights defenders in Indonesia, in
particular in Aceh.

The Observatory urges the Indonesian authorities to conform with
international human rights standards as these facts contradict the
principles of freedom of association and of freedom of expression. They
constitute violations of the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights Defenders,
especially Article 1, which states that "everyone has the right,
individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for
the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at
the national and international levels". According to Article 2, "each
State has the prime responsibility and duty to protect, promote and
implement all human rights and fundamental freedoms". Article 5 guarantees
the right to "meet or assemble peacefully; to form, join and participate
in non-governmental organisations or groups; to communicate with
non-governmental or intergovernmental organisations", for the purpose of
promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms.


For more information, please contact: FIDH: 00 33 1 43 55 25 18 - OMCT: 00
41 22 809 49 24



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