National

Indonesian Government Rejects Foreign Intervention in East Timor Human Rights Trial
Friday, 13 August, 2004 | 01:18 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has said that foreign countries could not intervene in the judicial system of Indonesia as a sovereign country.

Therefore, everyone, including the US government, must honor the ruling made by the Indonesian ad hoc human rights court regarding the East Timor case.

Sutarto made this statement responding to the establishment of an United Nations (UN) expert commission, which is aimed at evaluating the ruling of the Indonesian Human Rights Court in the East Timor case.

The US government has recently criticized the ruling made by the Court to release all military officers who were involved in the human rights violations in East Timor following the 1999 ballot.

“The character of democracy is how we honor the law and there can be no intervention as far as the law is concerned. We have to accept any ruling made by the court whether or not it satisfies us,” Sutarto told reporters at the State Secretary in Jakarta on Thursday (12/08).

According to Sutarto, the authority of a judge can not be intervened by his superior, his government, moreover foreign government.

This applies in all countries. (Sapto Pradityo - Tempo News Room)