E/CN.4/1992/17/Add.l
page 3
Director of the Institute for Defence of Human Rights (Lembaga Pembela Hak-Hak
Azasi Manusia), Mr. H. Princen, and with the Director of the Indonesian Legal
Aid Foundation (Lembaaa Bantuan Hukum Indonesia). Mr. Abdul Hakim G. Nusantara.
The Special Rapporteur also had an informal meeting with a representative of a
group of former high-ranking politicians/ intellectuals and officials known as
"Petition 50", considered by the authorities as a non-authorized opposition
movement. The Special Rapporteur was informed by these persons of the human
rights situation prevailing in the country and the difficulties faced by them
in carrying out the task of protecting human rights. It was alleged that the
rights to freedom of expression and association were widely violated in the
country, and that many other human rights violations originated from, or were
linked to, the failure by the authorities to respect these two fundamental
freedoms.
6.
The Special Rapporteur was also invited to attend a meeting, organized by
the authorities, with several non-governmental organizations dealing with
various aspects of national life. The meeting was attended by representatives
of Kowani (the Indonesian Women's Congress), the "Participatory Development
Forum", the Indonesian Labour Association, the Indonesian Youth National
Committee and the Bina Swadaya, an organization oriented towards development
questions. The participants briefed the Special Rapporteur about their
organizations' activities and about the general situation in the country. The
Special Rapporteur was further invited to attend a meeting, organized by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, a member of parliament, the director of
the Centre for International Studies, two university law professors and a
representative of the Women's League.
7.
On 7 November 1991, the Special Rapporteur visited the prison of Cipinang,
the largest prison in the Jakarta area. He was received and briefed by the
prison director, Mr. Nurdin Nursid, and was later able to visit several wings
of the prison. The Special Rapporteur was impressed by the cleanliness and
decent living conditions, including the provisions for family visits,
prevailing in the prison. The Special Rapporteur was able to interview
privately several prisoners being held for political offences whose names had
been provided by non-governmental organizations; some of them had allegedly
been subjected to torture. (The cases of some of these prisoners had, in the
past, been submitted by the Special Rapporteur to the Government.) The
prisoners interviewed by the Special Rapporteur were Dr. Thomas Wainggai,
Mr. Basuki Suropranoto and the remaining four East Timorese political
prisoners (whose names were not given). With the exception of the first,
who was convicted and sentenced to a 20-year prison sentence after organizing
a ceremony during which he raised the flag of a separatist movement in
Irian Jaya and who told the Special Rapporteur that he had been treated
humanely since his arrest, the prisoners reiterated their allegations of
torture during their interrogation by the military. They all said that
conditions in Cipinang prison were satisfactory and that the treatment was
humane.
8.
The Special Rapporteur would like to thank the Government of Indonesia
for its invitation to visit that country, thereby manifesting a spirit of
cooperation with the Commission on Human Rights. He particularly appreciated