Jakarta, Jubi – The Attorney General’s Office of Indonesia has established a team to investigate alleged human rights violations in Paniai, Papua in 2014.
“Attorney General Burhanuddin as the investigator of alleged gross human rights violations has signed a decree to form the team,” said Attorney General’s Office’s head of Legal Information Leonard Eben Ezer Simanjuntak on Friday, December 3, 2021, as quoted by Antara.
Simanjuntak said his office had issued the Attorney General’s Decree No. 267/2021 dated December 3, 2021, signed by Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin.
The issuance of the decree followed the letter from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) chair on September 27, responding to the return of Paniai case files by demanding a follow-up investigation to complete the file.
“It turns out that there has not been sufficient evidence to the case. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a further investigation in order to find and collect evidence,” Simanjuntak added. He said more evidence was needed in order to find the perpetrators.
With the issuance of the Attorney General’s Decree, an investigation team on alleged human rights violations in Paniai has been formed, consisting of 22 senior prosecutors and led by Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes Ali Mukartono.
Previously, Mukartono revealed on Monday that his party would inventory allegations of gross human rights violations following the order of the Attorney General. The Attorney General asked him to take strategic steps to expedite resolving dozens of serious human rights cases, including the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-66, the Petrus killing (1982-85 Mysterious Shooting), the 1989 Talangsari incident in Lampung, the tragedy of the Aceh Geudong House 1990-99, 1997-98 activists kidnappings, the Trisakti shootings, Semanggi shootings, the May 1998 riots, and the 1999 Simpang KKA incident. The 2014 Paniai case, meanwhile, is relatively new as it occurred after the establishment of Law No. 26/2000 on the Human Rights Court. (*)
Editor: Edi Faisol
