Semanggi shootings

After long-serving President Suharto was forced to resign in May 1998 amid mass protests and deadly riots, student protesters continued to demand political reforms, particularly an end to the political role of the military and police.[1] The first Semanggi killings took place when the Indonesian military and police were still a single entity, known as the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI), which had long been granted non-elected seats in the national parliament. The two entities in April 1999 split into the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police, and the number of military/police appointees to parliament was reduced, but student protesters continued to demand a complete end to appointees from the state security forces.[2]

In November 1998, a Special Session of Indonesia's People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) was convened to decide on a timetable for future national elections. University students protested against the session as they mistrusted Suharto's successor, President BJ Habibie, and members of the MPR. They also demanded an end to the military's non-elected representation in parliament.

On 13 November 1998, thousands of students held a sit-down protest near Atma Jaya University and the Semanggi cloverleaf interchange leading to the parliament building. Authorities responded by firing live ammunition. Seventeen people were killed and about 400 were wounded. The dead included six university students, two high school students and two Army officers. The dead were identified as: Teddy Wardhani Kusuma, Sigit Prasetyo (YAI), Heru Sudibyo (Universitas Terbuka), Engkus Kusnadi (Universitas Jakarta), Muzammil Joko (Universitas Indonesia), Uga Usmana, Abdullah/Donit, Agus Setiana, Budiono, Doni Effendi, Rinanto, Sidik, Kristian Nikijulong, Sidik, Hadi.[3]

On 24 September 1999, students in Jakarta and several other cities were protesting a proposed law that would give the Army wider powers in emergency situations. One student and 11 others were killed, while more than 200 people were wounded. Yap Yun Hap (a student of the University of Indonesia) was shot dead outside Atma Jaya University. Other victims were killed in Lampung and Palembang, South Sumatra. In Lampung, Muhammad Yusuf Rizal and Saidatul Fitriah were killed. In Palembang, on 5 October 1999, Meyer Ardiansyah (Universitas IBA Palembang) was killed.

Human rights activists called for investigations into senior military and police figures who held authority at the times of the killings: Wiranto (Minister of Defense), Roesmanhadi (Chief of National Police), Noegroho Djayusman (Chief of Jakarta Police) and Djaja Soeparman (Chief of Jakarta Military Command).[4]

The government and military refused to bring the senior officers to trial for the Semanggi killings. This refusal prompted civil society groups to call on the House of Representatives (DPR) to set up an ad hoc tribunal. The DPR (legislators for the 1999-2004 period) in 2000 set up a Special Committee (Pansus) to examine whether the May 1998 Trisakti shootings and the two Semanggi incidents constituted gross violations of human rights. The Pansus included members of the military/police faction in parliament. When the Pansus announced its findings in July 2001, the party factions were divided. Only three factions—the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Love for the Nation Democratic Party (PDKB) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) -- stated the killings contained the elements of gross human rights violations. PDI-P and PDKB recommended human rights trials, whereas PKB suggested an out-of-court reconciliation. The other DPR factions—Golkar Party, the military/police, the United Development Party (PPP), the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the Reformasi Faction, the Indonesian Nationhood Unity Party (KKI) and the Daulat Ummah Party (PDU) -- declared the killings were not gross human rights violations. The DPR therefore decided the killings should be dealt with by military tribunals, rather than an ad hoc human rights court.

In June 2001, military prosecutions commenced against 11 Mobile Brigade (Brimob) police personnel over the Semanggi I incident. In January 2002, nine of them were sentenced to three to six years in prison. In June 2003, another military court sentenced an Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) soldier, Buhari Sastro Tua Putty, for the shooting of Yun Hap at Semnanggi II. Although it was proven at the tribunal that the bullet that killed Yun Hap came from Buhari's gun, Djaja Suparman, who headed Kostrad when Semanggi II occurred, later wrote a book in which he suggested that an unknown party might have been using Buhari's gun.[5] Military trials were also held for the shootings in Lampung and Palembang, with low-ranking police and military personnel being tried.