Komnas HAM Demands Formation of ad-hoc Human Rights Judiciary

Jakarta (Antara) - The National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas Ham) has demanded that an ad hoc human rights judiciary be established to address past human rights violations. "We demand that whoever is elected president in the July 9 presidential election should support the creation of an ad hoc human rights judiciary, as expected by the community, which supports human rights," Komnas Ham Commissioner Natalius Pigai said on Wednesday. The Commission's head of the human rights violations monitoring and investigation sub-commission noted that he had constantly asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to form the ad hoc human rights judiciary. But he explained that the president, through the Ministry/State Secretariat, had stated that there was not enough time to do it. "However, we think there is still time. The next four months for President Yudhoyono before he ends his term of office in October 2014 is enough time for him to do it. We hope that before the transfer of power, the president will have formed the ad hoc human rights judiciary," Pigai noted. He added that if President Yudhoyono issues a presidential decision to form the ad hoc human rights judiciary, the next president should go ahead with it. But if President Yudhoyono fails to form the ad hoc human rights judiciary, Pigai said Komnas Ham will continue to demand the next president do so. (*)