JAYAPURA, Indonesia: Five Indonesian soldiers are expected to appear before a military tribunal on Friday to face charges over the alleged torture of Papuan civilians which was captured on video.
The trial comes days ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama to the Southeast Asian country, on the heels of the Pentagon’s announcement in July that it would resume ties with Indonesia’s special forces.
The footage, posted online by human rights activists, showed soldiers applying a burning stick to the genitals of one of the unarmed men and threatening another with a knife.
Papua province military spokesman Susilo said the suspects, who have not been identified, faced charges “related to the torture shown in the YouTube video”. “They will be charged with disciplinary violations under the military criminal code,” he said.
The graphic video drew international attention to allegations of widespread torture and abuse of activists and civilians in restive Indonesian regions such as Papua and the Maluku islands.
Rights groups including Amnesty International have demanded Indonesia punish the culprits and end an entrenched culture of impunity in the country’s security forces.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Monday there was “no immunity” for members of the country’s armed forces, ahead of talks in Jakarta with visiting Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Australia has worked closely with Indonesia’s security forces since 88 Australian tourists were killed in the 2002 Bali bombings by Islamist extremists, claiming such contacts encouraged respect for human rights.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates met Yudhoyono in Jakarta in July and announced the United States would lift a 12-year suspension of contacts with the Kopassus special forces as a result of “recent actions... to address human rights issues”.
Few Indonesian military officers have faced justice for rights abuses dating back decades, including alleged crimes against humanity in East Timor and the killing of thousands of political activists during the Suharto dictatorship.
Papua and the Malukus have underground separatist movements which Indonesia regards as threats to its territorial unity.
Activists are regularly given lengthy jail terms for crimes such as possessing outlawed rebel flags. -- AFP
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