Women, children and activists living in fear of violence in Aceh

"We are used to violence -- we have violence for breakfast" Ridwan*, who was 14-years old when his father was killed after being taken from his village by security forces in 1991.

"While thousands of victims of the past still wait for justice,hundreds of others continue to be targets for "disappearances", killingsand torture," the organization said. "People continue to live in fear ofviolence from both sides, not knowing what tragedy might impact their livesnext."

Government initiatives to investigate past human rights violationshave raised hopes that thousands of cases would be addressed yet thesecurity forces are continuing their tactics of brutality and repression,adding yet more names to the list of victims.

The cycle of violence has affected a whole generation of youngAcehnese. Thousands of children whose parents have been killed or gonemissing in the conflict continue to be obstructed when attempting to findout the fate of their loved ones and risk becoming victims themselves fortheir efforts.

Saiful* was just 13 years old when his father "disappeared" in 1991.Saiful's uncle tried to find him, but later the same year, he was arrestedby the military and has been missing ever since. Eight years later, inNovember 1999, Saiful's older brother was arrested by members of themilitary and the police and remains missing. Saiful has tried desperatelyto discover the fate of his relatives, but has been accused of being amember of the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka - GAM) by militaryofficials and threatened with death himself for his efforts.

"The father I loved was taken from me and I have to do something aboutit. So many of us want to find out where our relatives are. I have tostruggle - already we have three victims in my family", Saiful told AmnestyInternational.

Women in Aceh also continue to suffer serious violations, includingrape and other forms of torture. Several women and up to seven young girlswere reportedly raped or sexually assaulted when men in military uniformsentered their house in Matangkuli, North Aceh on 7 March 2000 during anoperation by the security forces to track down suspected GAM members.Although investigations have been carried out into the incident, no one hasyet been brought to justice.

Humanitarian workers and human rights defenders are being targetedspecifically because of their work. Activists have been killed, arrested,tortured and "disappeared". The level of intimidation is preventingactivists from travelling to carry out their work and areas in whichincidents were said to have taken place are sealed off by the securityforces.

On 2 September 2000, the body of Jafar Siddiq Hamzah, a human rightsactivist with the US-based International Forum for Aceh (IFA) wasdiscovered dumped in a ravine with four others, around one month after hehad gone missing in Medan, North Sumatra. His body was reportedly bound inbarbed wire and bore marks of torture. Both the security forces and GAMhave denied responsibility for his death. A police investigation has so farfailed to identify suspects.

During a stop and search operation in South Aceh on 5 September 2000,a 24-year-old volunteer for Save Emergency Aceh, Amrisaldin, was detainedby the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob). He was punched, kicked, slashedwith a knife, and had his pubic, chest and armpit hair burnt with matchesbefore being released the next day.

GAM has also been responsible for intimidating and threateningactivists. Groups have received death threats, and blacklists banning localcommunities from accepting assistance are said to be circulating.

"There can be no real peace in Aceh until human rights violations areaddresssed. Both the security forces and GAM must end the violence againstcivilians and effective systems of accountability must urgently be set up,"Amnesty International said.

BackgroundThe province of Aceh is situated in the northernmost part of the island ofSumatra, about 1,000 miles from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.Dissatisfaction with Indonesian rule in Aceh has been largely rooted ineconomic grievances and repressive policies employed by the Indonesiansecurity forces in response to local demands for independence. Between1989-98, it is estimated that several thousand civilians, includingchildren and the very elderly, were unlawfully killed. Arbitrary detention,torture and "disappearances" were also widespread.

Serious and widespread human rights violations have continued over thelast two years. In May 2000 an accord was signed under which both theIndonesian authorities and GAM agreed to halt offensive operations to allowthe distribution of humanitarian aid and prepare the ground for furthernegotiations on ending the conflict. Known as the Joint Understanding onHumanitarian Pause for Aceh, it came in to force on 2 June 2000 for aperiod of three months and has recently been extended for a further threemonths until 15 January 2001. It is now in jeopardy because of abuses byboth sides.

While the agreement initially appeared to result in a decrease in thelevel of human rights violations, within a matter of weeks reportedincidents of abuses by both the security forces and GAM escalated onceagain. In a recent incident, on 10-11 November 2000, thousands of peopleattended a rally in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, to call for areferendum on independence for Aceh. However, the security forces blockedpeople from travelling to Banda Aceh to participate, including by openingfire on convoys of vehicles. The total number of people killed remainsunconfirmed but reports from local NGOs indicate that it is over 20.

Mohammad Nazar, one of the organizers of the rally was arrested on 20November. He is believed to be charged under articles of the criminal codebanning the public expression of feelings of hostility, hatred or contempttowards the government. Amnesty International has called on the governmentto repeal these articles as they violate international human rightsstandards and have been used in the past to imprison individuals for theirlegitimate, peaceful activities. If Mohammad Nazar were to be imprisonedpurely for exercising his rights to freedom of expression, association orassembly, Amnesty International would consider him to be a prisoner ofconscience and call for his immediate and unconditional release.

* Names have been changed for security.