Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances

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JAKARTA CONFERENCE:

Collective Catharsis
by Francis Isaac1

Healing can come in several forms. It could appear through the assistance of a person clad in white tunic who bestows professional attention. Or it could be found in the inner sanctum of one’s soul by engaging in reflection and self-dialogue, while not fully retreating from the world of social structures and institutions. And the most dramatic of all is to engage in collective mourning and bereavement—in the shared moment of emotional purgation— as the preliminary step towards group solidarity and unified action.

The Greeks, in their psychological acumen and penetration, called this process as catharsis, from the word katharirein, which means to cleanse, to purge or to purify.

Adopted by the English language as part of its own, it is now often defined as the “process of emotional relief that results either from allowing repressed thoughts and feelings to surface, as in psychoanalysis, or from an intensely dramatic experience” or the “cleansing of the emotions through the elicitation of acute fear and pity in spectators of drama, especially tragedy.”

And for almost a week in Puncak, Indonesia from 6-10 December 2004, catharsis took place involving 40 survivors and family members of victims of enforced or involuntary disappearance from four different continents. The gathering, formally entitled Healing Wounds, Mending Scars, was a conference and rehabilitation session which sought to transform the participants from human rights victims to human rights advocates. This was done based on the belief that those who have undergone the pain and trauma that is enforced disappearance remain the best sources of hope and inspiration, and could encourage other victims to do the same.

Attended by delegates from Indonesia, Kashmir India, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Western Sahara, the Netherlands, Guatemala, and the Latin American Federation of Associations of Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared (FEDEFAM), its roster reflect the universal dimension of human rights and the reality that the families of the disappeared are one in pain, struggle and eventual victory.

And like all successful initiatives, this project had numerous parents—conceived by AFAD, with IKOHI and KontraS acting as hosts during the conference proper, and was made possible through the generosity of the Federation’s friends from HIVOS, Linking Solidarity and the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (UNVFVT).

Menyambot! (Warm Welcome, Indonesian-Style)

After the necessary preliminary preparations were accomplished in Manila, the AFAD secretariat arrived in Jakarta on 2 December, after a three-hour flight via Singapore. Most of the participants, on the other hand, arrived on 5 December, though an earlier batch from Pakistan, the Philippines and Guatemala arrived a day earlier.

Originally, the conference participants were supposed to be billeted at the Museum Listrik in Taman Mini near the outskirts of Jakarta. But an evening assessment on 5 December convinced the organizers that the venue may not have the necessary facilities to hold such a large gathering of 60 people, including the AFAD, KontraS and IKOHI staff. Arrangements were therefore made to transfer the venue to Puncak—a picturesque mountain town two hours away from Jakarta.

Initial Salvo

The Conference officially began with a Public Meeting on the morning of 6 December at 8:00am. This initial salvo of sorts was held at the Hotel Sofyan in Central Jakarta and was attended by representatives from the diplomatic corps, friends from the media, fellow advocates from the Indonesian human rights community and of course the participants of the conference.

In her keynote address, AFAD Secretary General Mary Aileen Bacalso stated that it is “the families of the victims and the victims themselves…who are in the best position to sustain this long drawn struggle towards searching for the truth, achieving justice and redress and recuperating the historical memory of the disappeared.” She, however, noted that “in Asia, in general, most of the families of desaparecidos lack adequate rehabilitation, with some of them still unable to overcome the trauma of their relatives’ disappearance.”

In this context, Bacalso concluded that the Conference is meant to guarantee that “families of the disappeared should transform themselves from victims to human rights defenders.” After which, she then called for a minute of silence for AFAD Chairperson Munir of Indonesia and Aasia Jeelani of Kashmir, India who were recently killed while pursing their quest for justice and human rights.

Nila Heredia, President, of the Federacion Latino - Americana de Asociaciones de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos (FEDEFAM / Latin American Federation of Associations of Families of the Disappeared - Detainees), subsequently followed and reiterated her group’s primary aim, namely:

            1.   to find all their missing relatives alive;
            2.   seek the truth behind the atrocities; and
            3.   to successfully ensure the attainment of justice.

She further stressed that her presence in the Conference is highly significant for it allows her to “know closely the context that surrounds the organizations that form AFAD” and establish closer links between the two formations.

The Public Meeting ended with a cultural presentation from a local Indonesian group which featured a meaningful tribute for Munir.

All to the Way to Puncak

After the Public Meeting, the Conference participants boarded a large tourist bus and proceeded to Lembah Nyiur (Valley of Coconut Trees) in Puncak. Later in the evening, delegates were divided into four (4) workshop teams.

Utilizing what most NGOs call as “popular education,” the entire Conference was a combination of input presentations, small group discussions, reflection sessions, relaxation exercises and practical activities—a set-up that appeals to both the cerebral type and the action-oriented.

Personal healing was greatly stressed. Hence, much emphasis was given on the personal dimension—sharing stories and experiences, focusing less on the intellectual side but on the wisdom of the heart and the genius of the guts.

Morning exercises akin to Qi gong movements were done on a daily basis, since the physical body can also be harmed as a result of psycho-social trauma. As one of the conference facilitators Josephine Callejo described it, “The emotions affect the body. If we are in pain, it is registered in our body; it becomes tense…Sometimes, if we are afraid and fearful, then we have headaches because the body is in a state of ‘dis-ease’ or it is not at ease. But if your body is relaxed, you are at ease.”

Three Testimonies

Personal testimonies from three activist leaders who have experienced the horror of involuntary disappearance were imparted, underscoring the means adopted to survive the trauma. Further enriching the testimonies was an open forum where the other participants were given the opportunity, nay the space, to clarify some of the facts or data that were presented. Private reflection sessions followed, which allowed each delegate to look into his or her own story and connect it with the testimonies.

Dra. Nila Heredia, FEDEFAM’S incumbent President, was the first to speak, giving a comprehensive background of Bolivia’s tense political situation during the 1960s-70s and the events surrounding the disappearance of her husband Luis Stamponi. She stated that Luis was a political militant and an active supporter of revolutionary icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara. On 2 September 1976, her husband was arrested in the mining city north of Potosi and was subsequently handed over to Argentine authorities. He was never seen since.

Two months later, her mother-in-law Mrs. Mafalde Corinaldeci de Stamponi also disappeared, shortly after checking-in at the Hotel Esmeralda in Argentina. Dra. Heredia strongly believes that this dastardly deed was perpetrated by the Argentine Federal Police, which was then in close coordination with their Bolivian counterparts.

Abdeslam Omar Lahsen also shared his testimony, disclosing the political conflict in Western Sahara which involved Spain and Morocco. On 16 December 1984, he was arrested along with his fellow university students in Marrakech. They were then brought to a secret location in Jamaa El Fanaa. After suffering from torture, he was then freed on December 31 of the same year for no apparent reason.

Since then, he began working for human rights and was instrumental in forming the Association for the western Saharan Families of the Detained and Disappeared (AFAPREDESA) while in a refugee camp in Algeria. The organization’s aim, according to Omar, is “to fight enforced disappearances which is one of the means used by oppressive regimes and dictatorships to silence the voice of all those persons who are against their politics of oppression.”

He also stressed the need for continued partnership between AFAD and FEDEFAM to elicit the support of the international community and “facilitate global action so as to put an end to this inhuman practice.”

The third testimony was from Mugiyanto, a former student activist and founding chair of the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared (IKOHI). In his presentation, Mugi (as he is affectionately called by his friends) recounted that on the 13 March 1998, he was apprehended in his rented room by what he believes were elements from the Indonesian military.

He was then blindfolded and brought to an undisclosed location where he was made to endure tremendous torture. He was later brought to a police station located in Jakarta’s business district. Though still in jail, he had the opportunity to establish contact with his friends and family members.

He was subsequently released on 8 June 1998 after then President B. Habibie lifted the Law against Subversion. Since then, Mugi worked for his fellow desaparecidos and human rights victims, believing that his experience has given him a moral and historical responsibility.

Voice from Guatemala

Marco Antonio Garavito Fernandez of the Guatemalan League for Mental Hygiene and program director of All for the Rescue, gave a fine presentation on the Central American situation and the ways by which they fought against involuntary disappearance. In his input, Señor Garavito noted that for the past 500 years, Guatemala has been the scene of numerous “dictatorial and repressive governments” and has been “largely characterized by a social system with huge inequalities.”

Such a situation led to massive discontent, spawning a costly civil war from 1960 to 1996. In the midst of this tragedy, children were forcibly taken away from their parents as a way to curb the insurgency.

It is for this reason that Garavito’s group began the program All for the Rescue in 1999. Believing that the forced disappearance of children is a crime against humanity, they began the search for these missing niños y niñas and reunited them with their families.

For their efforts, they were able to document 283 cases and have yielded positive results. Not only are they now trying to reunite parents and children who have been separatedfrom their biological for the past 20 years or so, but are now also seeking legal remedies to place the perpetrators before the bar of justice.

Tribute for Munir and Aasia

The third day of the Conference coincided with the 39TH birthday of former AFAD Chairperson, Munir. As a form of tribute not only for Munir but also for Aasia Jeelani who died in April 2004, an interfaith prayer was offered on the morning of 8 December.

A representative from each country and the people who personally knew them also were given the time to share with the group the personal kindness and political commitment of Munir and Aasia Jeelani in the struggle for human rights.

Posthumous awards were also given by AFAD to Munir and Aasia, which were received by Suciwati and Khurram Parvez, respectively. On the evening, two film productions documenting the lives of Aasia and Munir were shown to the participants which were greeted with applause.

The Path to Healing

Other forms of group activities included physical exercises; clay molding which enabled the participants to express their feelings by molding significant characters of their lives as families of the disappeared; the power of healing touch through massage therapy and kite-making to enhance creativity and to let go of negative feelings.

In one of the ending sessions, Mr. Marco Antonio Garavito performed a ritual using little Guatemalan dolls symbolizing the disappeared children of the world. The ritual was ended by replanting an uprooted plant to its original place which symbolized the determination to return to normal life after being uprooted by the effects of the disappearance.

Two series of solidarity nights deepened the inter-action among the participants, thus allowing them to creatively express in various ways the diverse cultures of Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe.

At the end of the gathering, conference facilitators Fr. Ben Moraleda and Josephine Callejo summarized the activities that occurred for the past four days. They also gave the five stages of grief and bereavement that accompany the loss of a loved one. These are:

            1. shock and denial
            2. anger
            3. bargaining
            4. depression
            5. acceptance and healing

                They also presented the three stages of recovery from trauma, which is

1. establishment of safety – which is meant to give the survivor a sense of power and control;
2. remembrance and mourning – which seeks to reconstruct the events and reframe these in; positive        and meaningful way so that the victims are able to deal with the losses; and
3. reconnection – which is the renewal of relationships and the assumption of a more forward-looking attitude.

All in all, the Conference proved one thing: that victims, no matter how scarred or wounded, can still find the inner and moral resources to cope with the tragedy and survive. They can also become advocates themselves who will be steadfast in ensuring that nothing like what they experienced would happen again.

1Kiko, he is called by his friends, is a member of the AFAD Secretariat and is currently taking his MA in Political Science at the University of the Philippines. An avid reader, he likes reading the works of Marx, Gramsci, Foucault and X-Men comics. He subscribes to the philosophy of Spider-man that “with great power comes great responsibility.”