Indonesia: Victims of human rights abuse to share their stories

The Coalition for Justice and Revelation of Truth (KKPK) will hold a five-day-public discussion featuring testimony from the victims of human right violations during the 1965-2005 period, a move that is intended to break the chain of violence in Indonesia by exposing the ongoing pattern of human rights violations to the public.

 The victims will open-up about the violations they experienced during the discussions, which will take place from Nov. 25 until Nov.29 at the National Library on Jl. Salemba Raya No. 28A in Central Jakarta.

KKPK coordinator Kamala Chandrakirana said the discussion was meant as a way to shed light on the country’s murky history. “It is very important for all of us to hear stories from those who directly experienced human rights violations,” Kamala said as quoted by the coalition’s official website kkpk.org.

The participating victims will represent five categories of human right violations: violations against women, in the name of security, in the name of ideology and religion and violations related to conflicts over natural resources as well as attacks against right activists.

According to the KKPK, the victims’ accounts will reveal the connection between human right violations committed in the present and the past.

Kamala refused to disclose the names of the victims who will attend the event, but said that they would represent around 30 cases of human rights violations that took place across the country. 

SOURCE www.thejakartapost.com