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Human Rights Groups Protest Indonesian Defense Chief's US Visit

Eva Mazrieva

   WASHINGTON - At least a dozen non-government organizations are
   protesting the U.S. decision to grant Indonesian Defense Minister
   Prabowo Subianto a visa to visit Washington for talks despite his
   alleged involvement with human rights violations.

   Prabowo is scheduled to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and
   the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley on Friday.
   Indonesian Minister of Defense spokesperson Dahnil Simanjuntak told
   VOA's Indonesian Service that Esper issued the invitation to Prabowo,
   onetime chief of the Kopassus, an Indonesian Army (TNI) special forces
   unit accused of human rights violations by rights groups and
   Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights. Prabowo was first
   denied entry to the U.S. in 2000 due to allegations of human rights
   abuse in East Timor, West Papua and during 1998 student protests in
   Jakarta.

   A spokesman for the U.S. State Department echoed the statement on
   Wednesday that "the U.S. Department of Defense plans to host Minister
   Prabowo at the Pentagon on Friday [Oct. 16] to further strengthen the
   U.S.-Indonesian bilateral relationship." Some topics for discussion
   between the two officials include regional issues, defense trade,
   security cooperation, military-to-military activities, and the response
   to COVID-19.

   Amnesty International USA on Tuesday sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of
   State Mike Pompeo protesting [1]Prabowo's visit. It was signed by
   Amnesty International Indonesia, Commission for Missing Persons and
   Violence, Public Interets Lawyer Network, Asia Justice and Rights,
   Committee for Solidarity Action for Munir, Imparsial, Public Virtue
   Institute, Setara Institute, Indonesia Corruption Watch, Jakarta Legal
   Aid Institute (LBH), Institute for Public Studies and Advocacy and LBH
   Press in Indonesia.

   "Prabowo Subianto is a former Indonesian general who has been banned,
   since 2000, from entering the U.S. due to his alleged direct
   involvement in human rights violations," the letter said. It continued,
   "The State Department's recent decision to lift the ban on Prabowo
   Subinato is an abrupt, complete reversal of a longstanding U.S. foreign
   policy which has been in place for 20 years. '¦ The invitation to
   Prabowo Subianto must be rescinded if it purports to provide him
   immunity for the atrocity crimes of which he is accused."

   Prabowo has repeatedly denied involvement in [2]rights abuses.

   "If he does indeed travel to the U.S,'¯the U.S. government will have
   the obligation under, at least, article 5 (2) of the Convention Against
   Torture to investigate, and if there is sufficient admissible evidence
   that he is criminally responsible for torture, bring him to trial or
   extradite him to any other country willing to exercise jurisdiction
   over the alleged crimes," the letter said.

   The letter continued, saying that "allowing Prabowo to freely travel to
   the U.S. to meet with senior U.S. government officials may violate the
   Leahy Laws and would be catastrophic for human rights in Indonesia."

References

   1. https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FINAL_Joint-letter-to-Pompeo-re-Prabowo-Subianto-1.pdf
   2. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/world/asia/indonesia-candidate-tied-to-human-rights-abuses-stirs-unease.html

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