Kami, organisasi masyarakat sipil yang tergabung dalam pernyataan ini sangat menyesalkan penghancuran sisa bangunan Rumoh Geudong, salah satu situs pelanggaran HAM berat di Kabupaten Pidie, Aceh yang terjadi pada 20-21 Juni 2023. Penghancuran tersebut merupakan upaya lancung penghilangan barang bukti, pengaburan kebenaran, penghapusan sejarah dan memori kolektif rakyat Aceh atas konflik di Aceh sejak tahun 1976 hingga 2005. Negara harus memastikan bahwa memorialisasi yang diupayakan akan menerapkan prinsip partisipasi yang berarti (meaningful participation) bagi korban dan berpusat pada kebutuhan dan kepentingan para penyintas (victims centered approach), berdasarkan prinsip-prinsip hak korban pelanggaran HAM. 

The Pidie District government team carried out the demolition as part of the kick-off preparations for the Implementation of the Monitoring Team's Recommendations for the Implementation of Recommendations for the Settlement of Serious Non-judicial Human Rights Violations (PKPHAM). President Joko Widodo will carry out the kick-off at Rumoh Geudong on 27 June 2023. The Pidie District government team has worked in a hurry, not based on the results of the complete victim data collection from Komnas HAM, ignoring efforts to uncover the truth that has been carried out by the Truth Commission and Reconciliation (KKR) Aceh, as well as eliminating the initiative of victims and survivors in building a memorial at Rumoh Geudong.  

Farida Haryani, Director of Paska Aceh, “This destruction is very degrading to the dignity of the victims and the local community. Their voices have been ignored in this process.” 

Rumoh Geudong is a place of arbitrary detention, torture and killing that is remembered most by the people of Aceh. Since 2017, survivors and civil society have cared for the stories of victims and survivors and demanded justice for the violations they experienced. Survivors regularly hold joint prayers and build memorials to remember past abuses and remember families who have left. Therefore, the efforts of victims and survivors to care for the remains of the Rumoh Geudong building and to build a memorial service as a space for victim recovery and education for the younger generation so that the same violence does not happen again. This victim initiative aligns with the transitional justice perspective, which places memorialization as essential in maintaining truth, restoration, and ensuring state accountability. 

In his speech at the inauguration of the Rumoh Geudong monument, which was initiated by survivors in 2018, the Regent of Pidie, Roni Ahmad, stated, "This monument must be a lesson for all of us to continue to do our best in building and caring for the welfare of the community. Don't forget what happened in the past and keep moving towards the future." 

We emphasize that narratives of past violence and memorial practices must be centred on victims and survivors. Consultation and meaningful participation with victims must be carried out so that the act of building formal memorialization and reparations has meaning and fulfils the principles of victims' rights, including ensuring that victims are not re-victimized. The state's efforts through the PPHAM team should strengthen the efforts of victims and civil society that have taken place before, including taking care of the Rumoh Geudong memorial and not instead become a mechanism to deny the truth of the violent incidents that occurred. 

Fulfilling the rights of victims of human rights violations is a manifestation of constitutional rights and the most basic human rights. Countries must comply with international standards in building memorialization, including ensuring that the principles of the rights of victims of human rights violations are met. The symbolic steps to be taken must be followed up with comprehensive repairs. The state must also ensure adequate protective measures for survivors and victims' families as a form of recognition of the vulnerabilities and threats they face due to their efforts to fight for truth, justice and impunity. 

Pidie, 21 June 2023
Paska Aceh, KontraS Aceh, AJAR, RPUK, Pulih, KontraS, Koalisi NGO HAM, ACSTF, Katahati Institute, LBH Banda Aceh, Center for Citizenship and Human Rights Studies (CCHRS), SKP-HAM Sulteng, SEMAI, KontraS Sulawesi