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Monday 30 November 2009

"Many Thanks"

Recently I found some information about my arrest in Jakarta in 1995.

On behalf of my family in East Timor and in England, I would like to thank the East Timorese and Indonesians, who helped bring this information to AI, HRW and TAPOL.

Especially I would like to thank AI, HRW and TAPOL who worked hard to denounce human rights violence in East Timor and Indonesia during the Indonesian occupation in East Timor.

Celso Oliveira



Documents on East Timor from
PeaceNet and Connected Computer Networks
Volume 34: - December 1, 1994 - January 16, 1995

Published by:
East Timor Action Network / U.S.

P.O. Box 1182, White Plains, NY 10602 USA
Tel: 914-428-7299 Fax: 914-428-7383
E-mail PeaceNet:CSCHEINER or CSCHEINER@IGC.APC.ORG

AI ALERT ON CELSO OLIVEIRA
AI UA011/95 INDONESIA Detention
AI Index: ASA 21/07/95

16 January 1995 INDONESIA AND EAST TIMOR

“Rui” Celso Oliveira, 23, human rights activist East Timorese Celso Oliveira has been arrested in Jakarta after sending information overseas about the situation in East Timor.

Celso was reportedly arrested without a warrant, and Amnesty International is concerned that he may be being held solely because of his peaceful activities in opposition to Indonesian rule of East Timor, and in particular, the dissemination of information concerning human rights. The organization urges that Celso be provided with immediate access to lawyers of his own choice.

Celso Oliveira was arrested around 11am on 13 January 1995 after a security guard in a bookshop handed him over to police. It is believed that Celso was then transferred from police custody to Jakarta’s regional military intelligence headquarters, Bakorstanasda.

At the time of his arrest Celso Oliveira was carrying a document describing the current atmosphere in East Timor which he had distributed to human rights organizations in Indonesia and overseas.

It is believed that lawyers from the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (Lembaga Bantuan Hukum), LBH, are currently negotiating with the authorities to visit Celso Oliveira in military custody. Just prior to his arrest Celso Oliveira stated that he had been visited twice by the military at his home in Dili, East Timor, although the reason for their inquiries was not clear.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The arrest of Celso Oliveira is consistent with a pattern of short-term and arbitrary detention of real or alleged opponents to Indonesian rule of East Timor. Thousands of East Timorese have been held without charge or trial for periods ranging from a few days to several months, since late 1991.

Many have been denied access to their relatives and lawyers and some are known to have been ill-treated and tortured. Others have been tried and sentenced for their peaceful activities. José Antonio Neves (see UA 198/94, 23 May 1994, and follow-ups ASA 21/15/94, 2 June; ASA 21/23/94, 20 June; ASA 21/26/94, 27 June) is currently being tried on charges of anti-government activities, in part because of attempts to send information about human rights violations in East Timor to foreign organizations. A verdict for Neves is expected this month.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/express and airmail letters either in English, Bahasa Indonesia or in your own language:

· expressing concern that Celso Oliveira was arrested on 13 January 1995 without an arrest warrant, and that he may have been detained solely for his peaceful activities in opposition to the Indonesian Government;
· urging that he be immediately and unconditionally released, unless he is to be charged with a recognisably criminal offence under existing laws;
· urging the authorities to ensure that Celso Oliveira has immediate access to lawyers of his own choice.

APPEALS TO:
Minister of Justice: Haji Utoyo Usman SH [Salutation: Dear Minister Utoyo Usman]
Menteri Kehakiman Jl Rasuna Said
Kav 6-7 Kuningan Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Faxes: 01062 21 314 1625
Telegrams:
Menteri Kehakiman, Jakarta, Indonesia

Military Commander for Region X/Jakarta Raya (covers Greater Jakarta):
Maj. Gen. Wiranto [Salutation: Dear Maj. Gen. Wiranto] Pangdam X/Jakarta Raya

Markas Besar KODAM X/Jaya Jl. Mayjen Sutoyo Jakarta, Indonesia Telegrams: Pangdam
X/Jakarta Raya, Jakarta Indonesia

AND, IF POSSIBLE, TO THE FOLLOWING:

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Ali Alatas
SH Menteri Luar Negeri Jl Medan Taman
Pejambon No 6 Jakarta, Indonesia
Faxes: 01062 21 36 0517

Chair of the National Commission on
Human Rights: Ali Said SH Ketua Komisi
Nasional Hak Azasi Manusia Jalan Veteran
No 11 Jakarta, Indonesia Faxes: c/o Ministry
of Justice 01062 21 314 1625

(Page 22, East Timor Documents, Volume 34. December 1, 1994 - January 16, 1995)

FROM SYDNEY JONES, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Celso Ximenes de Oliveira, aged 22, the East Timorese arrested in the Gunung Agung bookstore in Senen, Jakarta, last week, was carrying documents with him from Konis Santana, as well as an Infight publication and the White Book on the June press bannings. Customers are apparently supposed to check their bags at Gunung Agung, and when he walked into the store without doing so, the Satpam got him.

Celso’s father, Dominggos Ximenes, was an Apodeti member; his mother works at the East Timorese house in Taman Mini. It is not yet clear where he was being detained; there was some fear he had been taken to Kramat V, the military intelligence interrogation interrogation center, but there is no confirmation of that.

(East Timor Documents, Volume 34. December 1, 1994 - January 16, 1995. Page 23)

TIMORESE ARRESTED IN JAKARTA, WEST PAPUA
TAPOL Report, 13 January 1995

A reliable human rights contact in Jakarta today told TAPOL that an East Timorese named Celso Oliveira, 23, was arrested at the Gunung Agung Bookshop, Kwitang, Jakarta this morning.

It is not clear whether he is currently a resident in Jakarta or in Dili. He was arrested by a member of the store’s security, SATPAM, handed on to the Jakarta regional military command and taken to the interrogation centre in Kramat Lima. It is more than likely that he will have immediately been subjected to torture.

Our contact said the security authorities had found a document in his possession which details recent events in East Timor and which had been faxed to a number of human rights organisations overseas, including TAPOL.

This may have been the document that was posted on reg. easttimor several days ago, entitled ‘Widespread tension in East Timor.’

There are fears that this will develop into a case like that of José Antonio Neves who is now on trial in Malang, East Java, on charges of rebellion.
Meanwhile, we have just learnt that the daily, Kompas, reported on 5 January the arrest in West Papua of three East Timorese on 28 December, as they were trying to flee Indonesia and go to Australia.

According to Major-Gen. Ketut Wirdhana, commander of the Trikora military command covering Maluku and Irian Jaya, the three had come to Sorong for a match with a local team but remained there after the team left for home and “obtained identity cards, certificates of good conduct, birth certificates and passports to escape to Australia.”

They were arrested before being able to leave Sorong. He alleged that one of the three had taken part in an anti-integration demonstration in Dili.
They were being handed over to the Udayana military command based in Bali which covers East Timor.

(Page 24, East Timor Documents, Volume 34. December 1, 1994 - January 16, 1995.)

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