Indonesian Democracy Leader speaks at International IDEA’s third annual 1998 Democracy Forum

Press Release: 

Indonesian Democracy Leader speaks at International IDEA’s third annual 1998 Democracy Forum which opens in Stockholm tomorrow

Stockholm 22 June 1998 -- Pius Lustrilanang, one of the most prominent leaders of the Indonesian student movement and secretary-general of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, will address the International IDEA Democracy Forum which will be held in Stockholm on 23 and 24 June 1998.

Mr Lustrilanang, 30, is an Indonesian human rights and democracy campaigner who was seized by the secret military intelligence unit in Jakarta on 4 February, tortured and held in an isolation cell for two months before he was released on 2 April due to domestic and international pressure.

Threatened with death if he ever spoke of his torture, Mr Lustrilanang decided to go public what had happened to him. Shortly upon his release, he made a public statement about his disappearance and experiences in prison and thereafter immediately left the country out of fear for his life. He was the first Indonesian pre-democracy detainee and torture victim to have spoken out publicly about the human rights violations during the regime of former President Suharto.

"I am very pleased to speak about my experiences in Stockholm at International IDEA’s 1998 Democracy Forum," says Mr Lustrilanang. "I was fortunate enough to be freed but many, many other democracy activists have disappeared and are not as fortunate as I have been."

Mr Lustrilanang is expected to speak at the opening of the Forum on Tuesday 23 June and on a panel on the culture of democracy in Southeast Asia to be held Wednesday 24 June. The Forum will be held at Rosenbad Conference Center.

In addition to Mr Lustrilanang, some 150 high-level politicians, democracy experts, and opinion-makers will gather in Stockholm 23 to 24 June to attend the 1998 Democracy Forum. They will meet to discuss the global development of democracy from the angle "A Culture of Democracy: Interpretations, Prospects and Obstacles."

With a current membership of 17 countries and four international non-governmental organizations, International IDEA promotes and advances sustainable democracy world-wide. It provides a meeting-place for all global actors involved in democracy promotion.

The 1998 Forum will focus on the culture of democracy in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Arab world. On 24 June, International IDEA will also launch its publication Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers during a press conference at 10.30 at Bella Venezia, Rosenbad. Swedish award-winning actress Pernilla August will introduce each panel with a recital from some of the world’s most prominent authors, and the Romeo & Juliet Choir of the Swedish Royal Theatre will perform.

Other speakers at the Forum include Ms. Charity Kaluki Ngilu, Presidential candidate in the 1997 elections, Kenya, Mr. Boudjema Ghechir, President of the Human Rights League, Algeria, Mr Michael Bratton, Author of Democratic Experiments in Africa and Professor at Michigan State University, Ambassador Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, Executive Secretary, Global Coalition for Africa, Mr John Esposito, Author of Islam and Democracy and Professor at Georgetown University, USA, Dr. M.S. Gill, Electoral Commissioner, India, and Dr. Richard Jolly, Author of the United Nations Development Report, United Nations Development Programme, USA.

The 1998 Democracy Forum coincides with the annual council meeting of International IDEA, as well as the board meeting. A meeting of electoral management bodies of member countries will also be held from June 21 to June 22 1998.

The two previous International IDEA Democracy Forums were held in Stockholm in June 1996 and July 1997.

All panels, which will be held in English, are open to the press. The full programme of the Forum is available on Internet at http://www.idea.int

International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) was founded in February 1995. The Institute’s overall objective is to promote and advance sustainable democracy world-wide and to improve and consolidate electoral processes. To date, Members are Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, the International Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute, and Parliamentarians for Global Action. The Institute also has co-operative agreements with the International Commission of Jurists, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the United Nations Development Programme. Switzerland also contributes to the work of the Institute.