Aceh Merdeka guerillas are accused of extrajudicial killings of soldiers and of civilians who allegedly assisted the army. More than 90,000 people fled their homes amid the violence and, reportedly, coercion by rebel leaders to relocate to refugee camps. In November 1999, Aceh Merdeka leaders rejected Wahid s offer of a referendum on autonomy for the territory. The judiciary has yet to establish itself as an independent institution. Although authorities no longer appeared to directly influence judges, the executive branch appoints and can dismiss judges.
Prison conditions are poor, and torture of suspects and prisoners continues to be a problem.
In 1999, security forces and police continued to commit abuses with relative impunity, although not as routinely as under Suharto. The few soldiers and police convicted of rights violations generally received relatively light sentences. The government has made little effort to investigate past abuses, including an apparently organized campaign of attacks and gang-rapes against ethnic Chinese women, at least 20 of whom reportedly died, in several cities in May 1998. Soldiers and police often refused to intervene in rioting along religious and ethnic lines, although on several occasions security forces opened fire to quell riots in Java, Maluku, East Kalimantan, Aceh, and other provinces. The ASL allows authorities to detain suspects without charge for up to one year.