TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - New Chief of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) Commissioner General Suhardi Alius said that his agency is welcome to inputs concerning human rights issues.
"I say that we should not be resistant to inputs, moreover that not every member of our agency has received training on human rights," Suhardi Alius said when visiting the office of the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Wednesday.
He said he would welcome inputs and suggestions from Komnas HAM to improve counter-terrorism efforts in the country.
"Cooperation with Komnas HAM will become one of the solutions towards better counter-terrorism efforts in the future," he noted.
The agency has also made coordination with other relevant institutions and mass organizations such as the country's largest and second largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, he explained.
"The point is that we evaluate the past counter-terrorism implementation," he said.
Chairman of Komnas HAM M Imdadun Rahmat said his commission is ready to support BNPT in carrying out counter-terrorism efforts.
"We welcome all initiatives and ideas to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism. We are ready to support BNPT to make sure that counter-terrorism in Indonesia is sill in line with human rights," Rahmat said.
Terrorism is an extraordinary crime, which is also against humanitarian values. However, the Commission asked BNPT to prioritize legal enforcement and respect constitutional rights of terror suspects.
He said counter-terrorism must remain within a framework of criminal justice system.
Komnas HAM opposes if the paradigm is changed into a "war against terrorism" because it will cause serious human rights violation, he added.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) installed Suhardi Alius, former head of the National Police's Crime Investigation Department (Bareskrim) as the new BNPT chief on July 20, 2016, to succeed Tito Karnavian who was promoted to become National Police Chief.
ANTARA
