No More Communist Labels Without Trials: Human Rights Commission

TheIndonesia.co - The chairman of the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), Ahmad Taufan Damanik, reminded us that the practice of punishing or labeling people accused of being members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) without a judicial process should not happen again.

"During the New Order era, many people without a judicial process were accused of being PKI. That's saddening," said Chairman of the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission Ahmad Taufan Damanik when contacted in Jakarta, Sunday, April 3, 2022.

Personally, Taufan, who recently visited Europe, met with former members of PKI and people accused of being PKI. They are elderly. They, said Taufan, cannot or are allowed to return to Indonesia. The reason was because they were considered pro-Soekarno or labeled as PKI.

"So, a practice like this should not happen without a trial, without clear evidence," he said.

However, he did not deny that some of them were actually members of PKI. However, for people who are not PKI and are only members of the Indonesian National Student Movement (GMNI) and are refused to return to Indonesia, Komnas HAM regrets it.

He applauded TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa's move to allow descendants of PKI members to participate in the TNI selection. It is considered by Komnas HAM as a progressive breakthrough.

"Let us as a state in any sector depart from the existing constitution or laws and regulations, not political assumptions," he said.

It is known that the TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa made three breakthroughs at the 2022 TNI Admissions Coordination Meeting, namely the abolition of the swimming test, the abolition of academic tests, and the abolition of the ban on descendants of PKI members as candidates for TNI soldiers.