Call for International Tribunal, Regardless of Indonesian Court Verdicts
May 26, 2003 More than ninety leading religious leaders and organizations
from across the U.S. released a statement today urging the U.S. government
to support the establishment of an international tribunal for East Timor.
The statement follows the last week's acquittal by an Indonesian court of
former Indonesian military commander Brigadier General Tono Suratman for
crimes against humanity committed in East Timor in 1999.
The religious figures called the Indonesian ad hoc Human Rights Court for
East Timor a "sham" and said: "The U.S. and other governments must not
pretend the Indonesian judicial process is in any way acceptable. We call
on the U.S. Mission to the UN to actively work with its Security Council
colleagues to pass a resolution establishing an international tribunal for
East Timor. The world's powers must not again turn a blind eye to East
Timor's suffering."
"The Indonesian court's recent acquittal of Brigadier General Suratman
dramatically highlights the failure of the process to meet international
standards of justice," said John M. Miller, spokesperson for the East Timor
Action Network (ETAN).
The Indonesian trials, which began in March 2002, have been widely
criticized. The UN Special Rapporteur on judicial issues said the
Indonesian court has violated "the principle that prosecutions are to be
undertaken in good faith." The court has thus far acquitted 12 of 16
Indonesian defendants. The last verdict, in the case of former regional
military commander Major General Adam Damiri, is expected shortly. Damiri,
the highest-ranking military figure indicted by the court, is currently
active in the Indonesian military assault on Aceh.
The U.S. religious community statement noted the strong advocacy for an
international tribunal covering the entire period of Indonesia's illegal
occupation by churches in East Timor. It stressed: "The Indonesian military
committed countless atrocities in East Timor, including torture, rape,
forced sterilization, disappearance and murder. Justice for such egregious
crimes cannot be denied without serious repercussions. Indeed, peace in
East Timor and the rule-of-law in Indonesia have already been seriously
compromised."
"Our call for the U.S. government to serve justice and uphold human rights
by working towards the establishment of an international tribunal for East
Timor exemplifies the vital and proud tradition of communities of faith in
action," said Reverend John Chamberlin, National Coordinator of East Timor
Religious Outreach. "In regard to East Timor, the crimes are so well
documented and the suffering so great that it would be unconscionable not
to take a stand," he added.
Signatories to the statement include Ambassador Raymond Flynn of the
American Catholic Alliance, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Catholic
Archdiocese of Detroit, Ibrahim Abdul-Mohid Ramey of the Muslim Peace
Fellowship, General Secretary James Winkler of the United Methodist Church,
Rabbi Michael Lerner of TIKKUN, , Bridget Moix of the Friends Committee on
National Legislation, Sister Helen Prejean of the Sisters of St Joseph of
Medaille, Reverend Lucius Walker of the Interreligious Foundation for
Community Organization and Dr. Stanley Hauerwas of the Divinity School at
Duke University. In all, 92 religious community leaders and organizations
representing more than 15 faiths and from 25 states joined the call for an
international tribunal for East Timor. The full statement and list of
signatories are on the internet at
www.etan.org/action/action2/relig.htm.
The General Assembly of the U.S. Presbyterian Church and the General
Conference of the U.S. United Methodist Church previously passed
resolutions calling for an international tribunal for East Timor.
The Indonesian military was responsible for more than 200,000 civilian
deaths during its occupation of the island nation of East Timor from 1975
to 1999. Following the Southeast Asian nation's 1999 vote for independence,
the Indonesian military retaliated by killing more than one thousand
people, raping hundreds of women and girls and destroying most of the
country's infrastructure. In the months following 1999's devastation, two
UN bodies called for the establishment of an international tribunal.
Instead, Indonesia promised to try its own and eventually established the
seriously flawed ad hoc court. The UN Security Council is expected to
revisit the issue for justice for East Timor following the Indonesian
court's final verdict.
The religious community statement was circulated by the East Timor Action
Network, a U.S.-based grassroots organization supporting human dignity for
the people of East Timor by advocating for democracy, economic justice and
human rights, including women's rights. For additional information, see
ETAN's website,
www.etan.org.
