Victims and family members are still waiting for the Indonesian authorities to provide them with truth, justice and full reparation almost eight years after the end to the devastating Aceh conflict, Amnesty International said in a new report released today.

The report, “Time to Face the Past”, documents the failure of local and central authorities to establish the truth of what happened during the years of violence which left between 10,000 and 30,000 people dead, many of them civilians. Many of those who had their lives torn apart by the conflict are still suffering immensely.

“The Indonesian government’s failure to provide genuine truth, justice and reparation for victims and their families is causing immense suffering for people in Aceh today,” Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director, said.

“Family members still do not know what has happened to disappeared loved ones and are struggling to get by, while those responsible walk free. The situation is breeding resentment that could sow the seeds of a future return to violence.”

The Aceh conflict between the armed pro-independence movement Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM) and the Indonesian government dated back to 1976, and peaked during military operations from 1989 until a peace deal was signed in 2005.

It took a devastating toll on the population in Aceh, a region on the northern part of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island.

Amnesty International and other human rights groups have documented a range of crimes committed by members of the security forces and their auxiliaries against the civilian population, including unlawful killings, enforced disappearances and torture.

Human rights abuses by GAM included hostage taking and the targeted killings of those suspected of ties to the government.

Many of these human rights abuses constitute crimes under international law, including possible crimes against humanity and war crimes. Under international law, Indonesia has an obligation to investigate these crimes, and where sufficient evidence exists, to prosecute suspects in accordance with international fair trial standards.

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