Indonesia's lack of commitment to go after perpetrators of crimes against humanity will lead to continued violations, said Amnesty International (AI).

Claire Beston, from the AI international secretariat, said the government's lack of will to prosecute on behalf of the victims shows a failure of the legal system.

During a talk given at Amnesty International Malaysia's office in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, Beston said of the 1,549 cases of civilian killings in East Timor in 1999, only one person was convicted so far.

She said the central government has shown a lack of commitment to hold the perpetrators of many crimes against civilians accountable.

She cited the case of Eurico Guterres, the militia leader found guilty for the Liqui Church massacre, where an estimated 200 civilians were killed by militias. Guterres is currently serving a 10-year sentence in a Jakarta prison.

"The fact he was the only one that was found guilty has large ramifications for the country's policing force," Beston said.

A total of 18 people were tried by the ad hoc Human Rights Court in Jakata on violations related to East Timor. Of these, 17 were acquitted.

Cases of human rights violations that occur from 2000 onwards are tried by the country's permanent Human Rights Court in Makassar. In all cases since, nobody has yet to be convicted and many cases are still pending.

Excessive force

Beston also revealed that the police and army have defended the use of excessive force, arguing that the force used was proportionate to what was required.

"But there are many instances where civilians were shot at close range with live rubber bullets. Against security personnel, they stand very little chance," she said.

Beston said the response from the international community has been poor, in particular the United Nations Security Council.

"Despite the role the council played in the setting up of the human rights court, the response from its permanent members have been muted, other than the occasional media statement condemning the brutality on the part of the army or policing powers in Indonesia," she added.

Beston said despite many cases still not being investigated, the Indonesian government has pushed to set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which provides amnesties in exchange for confessions of crimes against humanity or genocide.

"The end result was that families of victims would not see justice or compensation. In many cases, the perpetrators continue to serve," she said.

According to AI, human rights violations continue to be committed by security forces in conflict areas, in spite of democratic elections.

In the case of Aceh, the central government's refusal to include retroactive principles in the country's Bill allows for those responsible for atrocities to remain free.

"It effectively promotes impunity for past human rights violators," said Beston.