National

President: Human Rights Trial in Aceh Will Not Use Retroactive Principles
Wednesday, 07 September, 2005 | 23:40 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that the holding of human rights trials scheduled to try human rights violations in Aceh would not use retroactive principles.

“I don’t want to look into the past. We’ve agreed to look to the future. The human rights trials in Aceh will not use retroactive principles,” stated Yudhoyono following a consultation meeting with People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) leaders on Wednesday (07/09) at the State Palace, Jakarta.

According to President Yudhoyono, the trials on human rights violations in Aceh shall be after he grants an amnesty and abolition to all people involved in the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

“We will start from this position. We will set up ad hoc human rights trials but we will not apply retroactive principles,” stated the President.

When asked about measures to be taken by the government in case of violations during the implementation of the MoU, the president said that the government would settle this matter by itself.

The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) will not be involved because the AMM has its scope of work. (Sunariah-Tempo News Room)