No Justice In Sight For Talangsari Massacre Victims

Amnesty International has criticised an Indonesian government "reconciliation committee", saying it may fail to provide justice to the victims and families of the 1989 Talangsari Massacre.

More than 130 people were killed, over 50 people were arbitrarily detained and tortured and at least 77 people were forcibly removed from their village during the incident, according to an inquiry by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) in 2008.

The families of victims say nearly 250 people disappeared or were killed during the military attack on an Islamic community based in Cihideung Village, Talangsari, Lampung on February 7, 1989.

The military reportedly attacked on the grounds of eliminating an Islamist cult within the community's ranks, but many innocent civilians were also killed.

Following the 2008 inquiry, a report was submitted to the Attorney General Office recommending that the crimes be prosecuted before a human rights court. But since then the government has taken no action.

According to a statement released by Amnesty International in early February, victims and their families are worried that the proposed non-judicial committee will not provide a mechanism for justice and could prioritise reconciliation over bringing the perpetrators to account for their crimes.

The Talangsari massacre is one of eight cases — all deemed to be "gross violations of human rights" by Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) under Law No. 26/2000 — which could be "resolved" by the government this way.

Other cases include the unexplained shootings of suspected criminals in the 1980s, the disappearances of anti-Suharto campaigners between 1997 and 1998 and human rights violations in the Papuan areas of Wasior and Wamena in 2001 and 2003.

Amnesty International says that the proposed "reconciliation committee" will not be able to "effectively fulfill Indonesia's obligations under international law to ensure justice, truth and full reparation to victims".

They along with other human rights groups are skeptical about the Widodo government's commitment to addressing rights violations since he appointed former general Wiranto as Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Affairs. Wiranto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, has been accused of committing crimes against humanity by both a UN-sponsored tribunal and Komnas HAM.

In 2014, victims of the Talangsari massacre appealed to President Widodo to order General Abdullah Mahmud Hendropriyono, his advisor and former commander of the units alleged to have perpetrated the crimes in Talangsari, to explain what happened.

In an interview with US journalist Allan Nairn, Hendropriyono said "suddenly they burned their own huts, which made so many people die. Yes, they committed suicide".

Victims have rejected these claims saying that Hendropriyono's men lit the fires and shot unarmed citizens.

If enduring the bloody attack wasn't enough, survivors have lived as social outcasts since the tragedy. In 2014 a survivor of the massacre, Azwar Khaili, said "For decades our legal status was unclear. The state has ignored our rights as citizens. We are still considered rebels and our children face difficulties when applying for jobs."

Amnesty says that the atrocities committed in Talangsari need to be "thoroughly, independently and impartially investigated and, if sufficient admissible evidence exists, those suspected should be prosecuted in fair trials, without recourse to the death penalty".