Speaking out: Addressing past human rights violations in Aceh and Timor-Leste

“One day, around 11 in the morning, a commander of the armed group came into the house and threatened the aunties to keep silent. And the commander raped me. I was afraid, I cried, but I couldn’t make any sound.”

These are the words of Maria Isabel, a survivor of sexual violence from Timor Leste, and the first sentences of the animated documentary short “Konta-Sai” (Speak Out), one of two films commissioned by Jakarta-based non-profit organization Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR), through its project “Making Right to Truth Tangible.”

In close collaboration with the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence Aceh (KontraS Aceh) in Indonesia and Asosiasaun Chega! Ba Ita (ACbit) in Timor-Leste, AJAR aims to document stories of survivors, facilitate dialogue and engage with the local authorities in addressing past human rights violations.

“It is our moral obligation to continue recognizing and acknowledging the survivors and to help them achieve truth and justice,” says Indria Fernida, Regional Program Coordinator of AJAR. “We still have a long way to go, but I believe we are walking on the right path. Through the animation, we wanted to describe a difficult situation in a way that is easily understandable, so it can perhaps encourage the younger generation to follow and not forgetting the issue as well and preserving the memory.”

Maria Isabel, usually referred to as Mana Isa, is one of thousands East Timorese woman, who were tortured and raped by members of the Indonesian security forces during the Indonesian invasion of Timor-Leste (1975-1999).

This period was also marked by other human rights violations – estimates say that more than 100,000 East Timorese died during the invasion. It was only in August 1999, under former President Habibie, that the Indonesian government held a Referendum, where the majority of Timor-Leste voted to become an independent and sovereign country.

In 2004, Mana Isa attended a hearing held by the CAVR Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in Timor-Leste.

“I heard testimonies from women who had experienced sexual violence during the war,” she says in the film. “My heart broke as I listened to them speak, as it reminded me of my own experiences from the past. I did not have the courage to speak like them in public.”

But after participating in the activities of the victims’ association and AcBit, which brought together victims from several districts, Mana Isa eventually felt that she had the courage to share her own story.

“Hearing them speak about their experiences, motivated me to speak about mine,” she adds. “At least for the young people, they can feel proud to acknowledge the sufferings their mothers endured in order to gain independence.”

In the second documentary produced by AJAR, “8.45,” Pak Umar shares his story. A survivor of the Aceh conflict, Pak Umar was arrested with the military forces accusing him of being a member of GAM (Free Aceh Movement). For over a month, he was held and tortured.

The conflict between the Indonesian government and the pro-independence group GAM in Aceh first began in the mid 1970s and has cost between at least 10,000 to 30,000 people, mainly civilians, their lives. When the tsunami hit Aceh in late 2004, between 150,000 and 170,000 were killed and the armed conflict came to a natural stop. In the aftermath of the natural disaster, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Indonesian government and GAM, paving the way for peace efforts in the region, including the Aceh Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) that aims to resolve human rights violations during the conflict and get restitution for the victims.

“Following the public hearings, I was relieved that I could convey the facts about what had happened to us,” Pak Umar says in the short film. “We (the victims) felt relieved and vindicated after giving testimony. Since torture weakened me physically, it was hard for me to find a job. I hope that the government will pay more attention to our social and economic situation in the future.”

Director Kartika Pratiwi says the documentaries help to create instruments that encourage survivors to speak out about their experiences, providing self-reflection and mutual support for action – and survivors can become active agents of change.

She used the same approach in her award-winning short animation “A Daughter’s Memory” (2019), which chronicles the story of a woman whose father was a victim of the Indonesian mass killings in 1965-66.

“Survivors’ rights and stories need both acknowledgement and socio-economic support,” Kartika says. “It is crucial that civil society and government actors work together to meet these needs and develop creative and appropriate ways to strengthen the debate for accountability.”

There needs to be a dedicated strategy for ensuring the long-term participation of victims from all sides of the conflict, she adds.

“We realize this kind of output is never enough, but we will not stop working with survivors to break their silence on past atrocities, identify the root causes of conflict and repression, fulfill their rights to reparation, and increase their skills in advocacy in order to address their marginalization,” Kartika explains.

She hopes that the documentaries will have a positive impact in invigorating human rights networks consisting of NGOs, academics, journalists and victims’ organizations advocating for the implementation of the recommendation from truth commissions in Aceh and Timor Leste.

“Meanwhile, one of the negative outcomes could be security issues since we have a broader network of product distribution for a campaign, thus there will be a profile exposure,” she says. “We really consider this as an ongoing risk and plan a mitigation strategy to avoid such cases.”

Both documentaries are available on YouTube:

Konta-sai (Timor-Leste): https://youtu.be/gbL3O0ttJRY
8:45 (Aceh, Indonesia): https://youtu.be/wiGlUx4dCVc 

This article was first published in the Jakarta Post on May 27, 2021.