"They will voluntarily do piles of work, which will lead to the opening of access to justice for witnesses and victims," LPSK head Hasto Atmojo Suroyo said here on Thursday.
The witness and victim friends belong to East Nusa Tenggara, Bangka Belitung, South Sulawesi, Yogyakarta, Central Java, East Java, and West Java.
They come from various backgrounds and include doctors, lawyers, students, activists, housewives, and even online ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers.
They include Iwan Setiawan, who survived the bombing in front of the Australian Embassy in Kuningan on September 9, 2004.
According to Suroyo, the witness and victim friends were chosen through a relatively stringent selection process. They have capabilities, skills, as well as knowledge related to the recovery and protection program.
"Our prayer as well as the victims' prayer will certainly complement their strength when they embark on their duty in the future," he said.
The agency head then urged all parties to contemplate an idea from the people of Java, which promotes working hard without seeking benefits and using a humanistic approach to develop the world.
The inauguration of 548 witness and victim friends was directly led by LPSK's secretary general as well as the community-based witness and victim friend program's supervisor, Noor Sidharta.
He said he believes that the appointed witness and victim friends will perform their duties and responsibilities as best as they can.
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Translator: M Zulfikar, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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