U.S. journalist, Billy Nessen, is currently being held and interrogated by the police in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, currently part of Indonesia. He has been detained by the Indonesian Police since Tuesday, June 24th. Officially, he is being held for possible charges of visa violations which carry a maximum five year penalty. As of July 14th, 2003, he has completed 20 days in custody while the national police and prosecutor are drawing up criminal charges against him. Billy Nessen is likely to be tried within the next week to 10 days and sentenced before the end of July.
Billy Nessen mangrupikeun wartawan lance gratis anu tulisan sareng fotona parantos dipedalkeun ku seueur makalah kalebet Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle sareng makalah di Australia sareng nagara-nagara sanés. Mangtaun-taun, anjeunna parantos ngiringan raket kana sagala rupa gerakan anu ngerjakeun hak asasi manusa sareng/atanapi kamerdékaan di Acéh. Manéhna balik deui ka Acéh teu lila saméméh 19 Méi, poé Présidén Megawati Sukarnoputri ngadéklarasikeun darurat militer di propinsi Acéh jeung ngaktifkeun 50,000 tentara Indonésia pikeun ngancurkeun gerakan kamerdikaan di dinya. Salaku wartawan, Billy nuju ngumbara sareng Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), anu mingpin perjuangan kamerdékaan Aceh. .
The Indonesian military demanded Billy Nessen surrender by June 14th, 2003. Billy requested that he be allowed to leave Indonesia without being questioned. His request was strongly supported by the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international group of journalists who support the rights of journalists to report what they see without threats or repression. During the period immediately before and after June 14th, he hid in the Acehnese jungle, which was under fierce attack by the Indonesian military.
Dumasar kana pamahaman diskusi antara pamaréntah Indonésia, anggota pamaréntah AS kaasup Duta Besar AS pikeun Indonésia, hiji anggota ngarah tina Komite Melindungi Wartawan jeung sababaraha aktivis HAM, Billy Nessen yakin anjeunna bisa ngawanohkeun dirina ka Indonésia. militér di Acéh, lajeng diidinan ninggalkeun Indonésia tanpa kudu méré informasi ngeunaan kagiatanana atawa ngeunaan GAM jeung sayap militérna (AGAM).
Dina 24 Juni, Billy Nessen nyerah ka militér Indonésia di Acéh. Aranjeunna diangkut ka Banda Acéh. Sanajan diperlakukan jauh leuwih hade tinimbang tahanan Aceh, lolobana anu sacara sistematis keok, Billy teu dirawat ogé sababaraha poé mimitina di tahanan. Saprak harita perlakuan na geus nyata ningkat. Nalika anjeunna ditaroskeun, anggota Kedubes AS hadir sareng ngadukung hak-hak Nessen.
Penyidik pulisi ngaku parantos réngsé panalungtikanana dina 7 Juli sareng diteruskeun berkas Billy ka kantor kejaksaan di Banda Aceh. Numutkeun ka Jakarta Post, Kapolri Jenderal Da’i Bachtiar nyarios yén Billy bakal didakwa ngalanggar visa kusabab aya di Acéh “tanpa ngamankeun idin ti administrasi darurat militer di Acéh†. Ieu mawa hukuman maksimum lima taun sarta denda maksimum ampir $3000. Da’i ogé nyatakeun yén pulisi bakal terus nalungtik hubungan Nessen sareng Gerakan Acéh Merdéka, anu saluyu sareng pernyataan para pamimpin militér Indonésia anu ngancam bakal nyobian Nessen pikeun spionase atanapi tuduhan anu sami.
Dina taun kamari, sanajan saméméh darurat militer dinyatakeun di Acéh, dua awéwé, Lee Sadler ti Amérika Serikat, jeung Lesley McCulloch ti Britania Raya, dihukum hukuman opat jeung lima bulan, masing-masing pikeun palanggaran visa minor kusabab simpati maranéhanana pikeun gerakan kamerdékaan di Acéh.
Naon anu tiasa dilakukeun?
Tanggung jawab urang sadayana pikeun nungtut Billy Nessen dibebaskeun tina tahanan di Aceh sareng diidinan langsung ninggalkeun Indonesia. Urang ogé kedah nyuhunkeun anjeunna henteu kedah ngalayanan waktos panjara. Pikeun ngabantosan anjeunna, urang kedah nahan tekanan ka pamaréntah Indonésia sareng Amérika Serikat: pamaréntah Indonésia sabab sacara teu adil nyepeng Billy Nessen; jeung pamaréntah AS sabab mangrupa pendukung utama Indonésia sarta Indonésia teu hayang ngasingkeun AS jeung leungit bantuan militér na. Ku alatan éta, panggero pikeun ngaleupaskeun Billy ku Duta Besar AS pikeun Indonésia sarta pamaréntah AS kamungkinan meunang hasil.
Nomer telepon konci, surelek sareng fax!
1. Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Soemadi DM Brotodiningrat tel: 202 775-5200 fax: 202 775-5365 address: 2020 Massachusetts Ave. Washington, D.C. 20036
2. U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce tel: (011) 62-21 3435 9000 fax: (011) 62-21 3435-9922 email: [email dijaga]
3. Méja Indonésia di Departemen Luar Negeri AS, Michael Heath télépon: 202 647-2769 fax: 202 647-7350
4. State Department email of Colin Powell, [email dijaga] tel: 202 647-4000
5. U.S. Senator Richard Lugar Head of the Foreign Relations Committee tel: 202 224-4814 email: [email dijaga]