The training consisted of two parts, and the first part was held 24-25 February. It was attended by 25 participants. Among the speakers were Judge Fausto Pocar, an Appeal Chamber Judge of the ICTY (the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), Prof. David Cohen, Director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice; and Dato Shyamala Alagendra, a prosecutor of ICC in Darfur Case, who also represented victims of violations in Special Court for Sierra Leone, and represented accused persons before the ICC and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
The second part will be held in March, with a more detailed focus on developing skills for investigating crimes against humanity.
Indonesia is not (yet) a signatory to the Rome Statues, but has a domestic law that allows for tribunals against individuals for the type of crimes that could fall under jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. There are many past crimes from the Suharto era that has remained unresolved to this day, for which this law could potentially be applied. Addressing these cases would not only contribute towards justice for the victims, but also prevent similar cases from occurring again. While there may be political reasons for why these crimes have remained unresolved, competence is also an important factor. The training is the first in a series that aim to increase competence among prosecutors and the national human rights commission to address such cases.