Vice presidential candidate Solahuddin Wahid defended his running mate Wiranto on Wednesday, saying the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) had no proof the retired Army general had committed any human
rights violations.

Speaking after a discussion with the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI), Solahuddin, a former member of Komnas HAM, said he had handed over all the evidence he had gathered as a commission member on the May 1998 riots to the House of Representatives and the Attorney General's Office.

"It is now up to them to decide. But from all the evidence the commission has gathered, Wiranto is innocent of gross human rights violations," said Solahuddin.

As a deputy chairman of Komnas HAM in 2002, Solahuddin led a team investigating the May 1998 riots, which took place while Wiranto was Indonesian Military (TNI) chief and the minister of defense. Hundreds of people were killed and scores of women, mostly Chinese-Indonesian, were allegedly raped during the riots.

Solahuddin's team attempted to subpoena several key military officers, including Wiranto, but the officers ignored the summons.

Komnas HAM presented a 16-page report on the riots to then attorney general Marzuki Darusman on Jan. 31, 2000. The report urged that Wiranto, along with 33 other high-ranking officers, be investigated for the failure of the TNI chief to ensure security. However, a list of suspects later released by the Attorney General's Office did not include Wiranto.

A joint fact-finding team announced on Nov. 3, 1998, that individuals within the armed forces took an active role in inciting the May riots. The team also confirmed the occurrence of rape and sexual assault during the violence.

In a related development, a United Nations-sponsored East Timor tribunal recently issued an arrest warrant for Wiranto for alleged crimes against humanity before and after a referendum in the former Indonesian province.

Wiranto was the TNI commander when the violence erupted in East Timor in 1999. About 1,400 people were killed during the violence.

Solahuddin, who was also a deputy chairman of the 40-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama before resigning recently, said Indonesia had to resolve its own problems and should not be dictated to by foreign countries.

"We must not follow certain groups that are being directed by foreign interests. These people have no sense of nationality," said Solahuddin, who is also a deputy chairman of the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals.

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