Using Narrative Theory on Analysis of Law and Human Rights: Searching Truth on Tanjung Priok’s Incident in Indonesia

Abstract

The term of narratives methods for some legal scholar is quite unfamiliar, even though for some legal practitioner this method is widely used in producing any legal documents or legal practice product. This article is trying to familiarize the narratives methods and analysis among legal scholar and also the importance of using narrative methods and analysis for settlement of past severe violations of human rights in Indonesia. Using the only past severe violation of human rights case in Indonesia, Tanjung Priok Case is the only case that happened in New Era Government or the era of government under (late) President Soeharto, this case was acknowledged as severe violation of human rights and has impacted to established the Ad-Hoc Human Rights Court for Tanjung Priok 1984. This article is trying to present how important using personal story and experiences in settling the case, gathering the information from the victims and also using the narration of observation report as a part of truth seeking in addition to make an analysis to produce the policy in the settlement of past severe violation of human rights.