TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The coalition of civil society groups strongly condemned President Joko Widodo or Jokowi's decision to honor the Bintang Jasa Utama award to Eurico Guterres, a former East Timorese militia. The Coalition emphasized that the actions affirmed the impunity of Eurico, who they considered a gross human rights violator.

“It's like dripping vinegar on the victim's wounds. Again, the narrow space for efforts to resolve serious human rights violations continues to experience pressure and recession,” said the coalition in a written statement on Thursday, August 13.

In 2002, Eurico Guterres was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Central Jakarta Ad Hoc Human Rights District Court over the East Timor cases. The decision was strengthened in the Supreme Court in 2006. Even though he was then released through a judicial review in 2008, he was found guilty of crimes against humanity in East Timor based on the legal considerations of the previous ruling.

The coalition deemed the awarding a serious betrayal of humanity and morality, as well as disregard for the justice of the victims. It obviously placed the victims as a mere instrument of power, instead of the goal, let alone as raison d'étre or the reason for the existence of the government.

“The award for Eurico Guterres sets a bad precedent for the democratization process in Indonesia after it escaped from authoritarianism,” said the coalition.

“On those considerations, we the civil society coalition from several organizations in Indonesia and Timor Leste, and individuals urge President Jokowi to revoke his decision to give the Bintang Utama Jasa award to Eurico Guterres,” the coalition underlined.

Read: President Jokowi Grants Honorary Award for Former East Timor Militia

EGI ADYATAMA