Jayapura, Jubi – Apolos Sroyer, the chairman of the Byak Customary Council or Manfun Kankain Karkara Byak, said addressing human rights violations committed by state officials could not be appropriately resolved through non-judicial means as the government failed to address the underlying issues, namely failure in development, marginalization and discrimination against Indigenous Papuans, state violence, and the historical and political context of the Papua region.
In a phone call with Jubi on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, Sroyer said the government should implement the four recommendations for research put forth by the late Dr. Muridjan and his colleagues from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).
Furthermore, Sroyer noted that resorting to non-legal measures such as compensation or traditional practices like burning stones (barapen) would be inappropriate in this case. He highlighted that the perpetrators of human rights violations were state officials who targeted indigenous tribes in Papua, engaging in activities ranging from land grabbing to the destruction of local natural resources.
“Customary settlements will not cut it,” he said.
According to information from the official website, President Joko Widodo chaired a Limited Meeting on the Implementation of Non-Judicial Settlement of Gross Human Rights Violations on May 2, 2023 at the Presidential Office in Jakarta.
“The President recently chaired an internal cabinet meeting attended by 19 ministers, the Commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI), the Attorney General, the Chief of the National Police, and heads of relevant state institutions to discuss the follow-up actions regarding the recommendations for non-judicial settlement of past gross human rights violations,” Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD said in a press statement after the meeting.
Previously, with Presidential Instruction No. 2 of 2023, the President instructed 19 ministers and officials at the ministerial level to take coordinated and integrated steps in implementing the recommendations for non-judicial settlement of past gross human rights violations.
Mahfud clarified that the non-judicial settlement primarily centers around the victims rather than the perpetrators.
“It should be emphasized that this recommendation primarily concerns the victims of past gross human rights violations, not the perpetrators,” Mahfud explained.
Furthermore, in the non-judicial settlement recommendation, the government acknowledges the occurrence of gross human rights violations in Indonesia. Mahfud further expressed the government’s remorse regarding the incidents. (*)
