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NGOs say Sjamsoeddin's appointment damages victims' sense of justice

Kompas - January 6, 2010

Jakarta – A coalition of non-government organisations (NGOs) have expressed their opposition to the appointment of Lieutenant General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin as Deputy Minister of Defense saying that he was involved in many cases of gross human rights crimes when he was an active member of the Indonesian military (TNI).

This was conveyed by a number of NGOs including, among others, the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Setara Institute and the Institute for Public Research and Advocacy (Elsam) during a press conference at the HRWG offices on Jl. RP Soeroso in Central Jakarta on Wednesday January 6.

"The appointment of [Sjamsoeddin] as deputy defense minister has done irreparable damage to victims of human rights violations sense of justice who are still fighting for justice," said Kontras Secretary General Oslan Purba.

Similar remarks were made by HRWG Executive Director Rafendi Djamin. He said that Sjamsoeddin's record of gross human rights violations should be an important consideration in reviewing his appointment as deputy defense minister. He cited several recent cases that have involved Sjamsoeddin such as the abduction of activists in 1997/98, the May 1998 riots in Jakarta, the Trisakti student shootings and events in East Timor.

"Last November, even the US government refused to give a visa to Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin who was then the secretary general of the Defense Department. This should be a point of reflection for the government in human rights crimes," said Djamin.

The NGOs also explicitly called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to reconsider Sjamsoeddin's appointment, who will be tasked with assisting the Defence Minister in managing defense industry affairs.

According to Purba, the position of deputy defense minister should be carried out by a professional figure that is credible and accountable. "The president must have the courage to appoint a civilian that understand issues of national defense", he said.

President Yudhoyono appointed Sjamsoeddin as deputy defense minister earlier in the afternoon at the State Palace.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

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