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Labor Alerts: a service of Campaign for Labor Rights
INDONESIA: DITA SARI RELEASEDposted July 10, 1999
In this alert:Dita Sari released - two media reports Statement from Amnesty International With no help from Nike Sweatshop organizing packet - second installment
DITA SARI RELEASEDtwo media reports 1) Jakarta Post, July 6
Labor activist Dita released from prisonTANGERANG (JP): Jailed labor activist Dita Indah Sari of the Democratic People's Party (PRD) left the women's penitentiary here on Monday after spending two years in prison. The release of Dita, 25, who was sentenced in July 1997 to five years imprisonment under the controversial 1963 Subversion Law, was part of an amnesty granted by President B.J. Habibie in presidential decree number 68 issued on July 2, 1999. A few steps outside the prison, Dita announced: "My freedom is not the mercy of the government, but a pure political measure." According to her, Habibie's administration was facing mounting criticism from the public, and her release was simply part of the government's efforts to increase its popularity. Dita, also chairwoman of the Center for Indonesian Workers Struggle, was arrested along with other labor activists in July 1996 for organizing two rallies involving some 10,000 workers from 10 factories in the Tandes industrial estate in southern Surabaya, East Java. The rallies, which called for the minimum wage in Surabaya to be raised from Rp 5,200 to Rp 7,000 per day, ended violently after the military moved in to disperse protesters. Dita was given a five-year sentence by the Surabaya District Court in 1997 and was soon transferred to the capital. She was found guilty of attempting to subvert the state and topple the government through her activities in Jakarta, Surabaya and other cities. Dita left the penitentiary on Monday at 12:30 p.m., accompanied by her father Adjidar Ascha and colleagues from local and international non- governmental organizations.
The fifth of six children, Dita is the only member of her family who became involved in politics. Her mother passed away in Jakarta while Dita was being held in prison in Surabaya, and she was not allowed to attend her mother's funeral. "I want to go to my mother's grave," she said about her plans. She said she would then concentrate her energies on the labor struggle, adding that she had already established a national labor front which was the seed for an Indonesian labor organization. "This (national labor front) is a transitional organization prior to the establishment of a national labor organization," she said. Leaving the penitentiary in a Honda Civic sedan, Dita headed to Menteng Pulo cemetery in Central Jakarta. Her release caught many off guard because the government had given no prior signals of a possible amnesty for her. Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris visited Dita last Monday and held a closed-door meeting with her, but did not say anything about the possibility of her being released. Dita quoted Fahmi as saying at the time that the idea of releasing her sparked arguments among government officials. Dita said it was most likely the Indonesian Military which did not want to see her freed. "If I'm released, they fear fresh labor rallies which, they think, would threaten national stability," she said last week. Dita said her freedom was a gift from God. She also thanked the endless support of her fellow labor activists. Dita also urged Habibie to release imprisoned activist Budiman Sudjatmiko and East Timorese pro-independence leader Alexander "Xanana" Gusmao. 2) Indonesian woman labor activist released from jailJAKARTA, July 5 (AFP) - The Indonesian government on Monday released a woman labor activist, jailed by the government of former president Suharto for organizing a series of workers' protests. Dita Indah Sari, now 27, was sentenced to a six-year jail term in 1997 after organizing labor protests in Surabaya, the capital of East Java. "It (the release) is not out of kindness, nor out of any favor for us. This is (based on the) government's political calculations," Dita said in a television interview after her release from a prison outside Jakarta. She said she now planned to set up a labor union. Before ending up in jail, Sari spearheaded a labor wing of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), a small left-leaning party which is contesting the June 7 elections. The PRD was banned under Suharto and its leader, Budiman Sujatmiko, is still in jail for alleged involvement in riots here in 1996 to protest the ouster of Megawati Sukarnoputri from the leadership of the Indonesian Democracy Party. Megawati's party is now leading in the count after the national parliamentary elections. Sujatmiko has refused the government's offer to release him, on the grounds that acceptance would mean admission of guilt, and he maintains the Suharto government is guilty of wrongly imprisoning him. Since Suharto's fall in May of last year, the government of his successor President B.J. Habibie has allowed the free formation of labor unions.
STATEMENT FROM AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International *
Indonesia: Release of Dita Indah Sari6 July 1999 Amnesty International welcomed today's release of Dita Indah Sari, a {labour rights} organiser connected to the Peoples Democratic Party (Partai Rakyat Demokratic - PRD) who was serving a five year sentence for her peaceful activities defending workers rights. Her release follows sustained campaigning by international human rights groups, trade unions, women's rights groups and others. While welcoming measures taken by the Habibie government to address Indonesia's poor human rights record, Amnesty International urged the Indonesian authorities to take additional steps to implement legislative and institutional reforms to protect freedom of expression and association. Among the steps that should be taken by the Indonesian government are:
Dita Indah Sari's release comes at a time when Amnesty International is investigating recent reports of ill-treatment of PRD members by the police and of threats and attacks against PRD offices by unknown assailants. Dozens of PRD members were shot and beaten by {police} during a clash which erupted outside the offices of the General Election Commission (KPU) in Jakarta on 1 July when the PRD was prevented from presenting a petition to the KPU. Since then two PRD offices have reportedly been attacked by unknown groups of men and a member of the PRD who has been accused by the authorities of orchestrating the violence during the 1 July demonstration has received anonymous telephone threats that he will be kidnapped. Amnesty International is urging the Indonesian authorities to ensure that these incidents are impartially and fully investigated and that steps are taken to protect PRD members from possible attacks. You may repost this message onto other sources provided the main text is not altered in any way and both the header crediting Amnesty International and this footer remain intact. Only the list subscription message may be removed. To subscribe to amnesty-tradeunions, send a message to majordomo@oil.ca with "subscribe amnesty-tradeunions" in the message body. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@oil.ca with "unsubscribe amnesty-tradeunions" in the message body. If you have problem signing off, contact owner-amnesty-tradeunions@oil.ca
WITH NO HELP FROM NIKEcomments by Trim Bissell, national coordinator, Campaign for Labor Rights In conjunction with last year's decision by the Indonesian government to legalize independent unions, the recent release of this prominent labor rights advocate is a sign of progress in Indonesia. However, there is little evidence that Nike intends to undertake any proactive steps to support the right of freedom of association in its factories - in Indonesia or elsewhere. In recent months, Nike representatives refused repeated requests to call publicly for Dita Sari's release.
SECOND INSTALLMENT OF ORGANIZING PACKETThe second installment of the 1999 Sweatshop Activist Organizing Packet is ready. Everyone who ordered the first installment automatically receives subsequent installments throughout the year. Everyone ordering the packet now will receive the second installment, plus all materials which are still timely from the first installment. The 1999 Sweatshop Activist Organizing Packet is a multi-theme, multi-campaign packet for local activists who are organizing around sweatshop issues. Order by email clr@clrlabor.org or phone (202) 232-5002. Complete packets only - no orders of specific pieces. Include your postal address: Packet is in hard copy. Packet includes a donation form and a return envelope. Suggested donation: $10.00. If ordering from outside the United States, please pay by credit card. From within the U.S., either credit card or check payment is welcome. If you are paying by card, the charge will be credited to Campaign for Labor Rights through the Alliance for Global Justice, of which CLR is a member project. Your bill, however, will show a payment to the Alliance. Just email us your name as it appears on the MasterCard, Visa or Discover card, your account number, the expiration date and the amount of the payment in U.S. dollars. Among the items in the second installment are:
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