By Xinhua,
Jakarta : The Indonesian House of Representatives is poised to pass an amended law on military tribunals that would allow civilian courts to try soldiers involved in non-military offenses, local press said Wednesday.
The planned passage of the much-awaited law has been lauded by experts and human rights activists who say the bill is essential in curbing impunity and ensuring transparency within the Indonesian Military (TNI).
All factions in the House and the TNI had agreed to try servicemen facing criminal charges in civilian courts instead of military ones, reported English daily The Jakarta Post.
“We will pass the amended bill into law during this sitting session, probably in June or July,” chairman of the House’s working committee on the law, Andreas Pareira, was quoted as saying.
He said the agreement was reached after more than three years of meetings and dialogue between lawmakers and military leaders.
The House and the government are amending the 1997 law on military tribunals in a series of steps toward military reform, following the collapse of Soeharto’s 32-year authoritarian regime that relied on the military to retain power.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has voiced support for civilian trials for soldiers accused of non-military crimes, it said.
“From the beginning, we reached an agreement with the TNI to change Article 9 (a) of the law to enable civilian courts to try servicemen.
“After agreeing on this principle, we moved on to discuss other articles,” Andreas said.
After the passage of the amended law, the House will revise the Military Criminal Code to bring it into conformity with the new law.