Nurmaysitah is a daughter of Aceh and longs for the day when her province will soon attain peace and freedom from fear. She works in a plantation in Aceh, trying to become self-sufficient like the rest of the Acehnese people.
My missing uncle Baharudin disappeared on 27 August 1990. I was 13 years old when it occurred and I am now 26.
Before his disappearance, our co-villagers started circulating rumors that he was a member of the separatist group Gerekan Aceh Merdeka (GAM / Free Aceh Movement). I think it was because he liked to dress in formal attire even though he was just a simple farmer.
The day he disappeared, he was attending morning prayers when at around 5:00 am, TNI officers accosted him along with nine (9) others. While they were being dragged away by the military, my mother and I followed them and told them to spare my uncle’s life and shoot us instead.
I remember very well that while he was being taken, he told me not to worry and stated that he would come back. He even asked the soldiers to assure me that he would return.
They were then brought to the village hall where they were severely tortured. The soldiers kicked him repeatedly and banged him against the wall. They also pulled his chest hairs until his chest bled. His mouth was torn as a result of the physical abuse.
When my mother went to the military headquarters to bring him food, she inquired if my uncle could still eat because of his torn lips. But Uncle Baharudin still insisted on leaving the food for him. Seeing his pitiful condition, my mother asked the soldiers when my uncle could be released; but they gave her no reply. By 9:00 am that same day, my uncle was no longer in the station and the TNI personnel feigned ignorance. My mother searched the whole village and even went to the province of Medan but would always come home empty-handed.
She was deeply affected by my uncle’s disappearance so that shortly after that, she was paralyzed and became extremely ill. Until now, she remains confined in the hospital.
Because of my mother’s condition, I was forced to assist in our family’s livelihood and I now work as a farm laborer in Aceh.
Although the government gave financial assistance to my uncle’s wife amounting to 3 million rupiahs ($300), we were not considered as co-beneficiaries. We also did not get assistance from any human rights group. All the help that we received came from the donations of my fellow villagers.
What happened to my uncle was a gross injustice. He was not involved with GAM neither would he actively support them. But even if he was, still they did not have the right to disappear him.
I also don’t know anything about GAM. As far as I’m concerned, it is not important if Aceh is granted independence or not. What’s important is that the human rights of Acehnese are protected. And as a first step, the military must be removed from Aceh. It is the task of ABRI and TNI to uphold the rule of law and ensure that justice is served. They have been given power to be used for the benefit of the people.
If I could only personally meet Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, I would seek his concern, not only for me and my family, but also for my fellow Acehnese. I will ask him to make Aceh secure and to assist human rights victims like me.
