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Amnesty International push for accountability

Jakarta Post - April 22, 2016

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Marguerite Afra Sapiie – National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti's statement that a Densus 88 officer kicked terror suspect Siyono in the chest serves as a turning point in Indonesia's persistent denial that its security apparatus uses torture, Amnesty International has said.

Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's Director of Campaigns for Southeast Asia, said Badrodin's confirmation brought a light of hope in attempts to reveal the truth behind the impunity culture within Indonesia's security forces.

The government should order the formation of a robust and independent inquiry to investigate how widespread the use of torture has been all along, Benedict said in a statement received by thejakartapost.com on Thursday. "There is an urgent need for long overdue accountability and new laws criminalizing the use of torture," Benedict said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Badrodin revealed publicly that the Densus 88 officer who guarded Siyono admitted to kneeing the terror suspect in chest during a fight in the car. The action broke Siyono's ribs, and led to his death.

The admission was made following an independent autopsy on Siyono's body that found his death was due to a broken breastbone that pierced his heart. Previously, the police claimed that Siyono died from a brain haemorrhage.

Siyono, thought by the intelligence community to be one of the leaders of neo-Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), died while in police custody. An investigation from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) revealed that Siyono's dead body was covered in blood and wounds, raising allegations of the use of torture during the interrogation.

Amnesty International said there were a number of cases where the police and Densus 88 should be investigated for allegedly violating human rights during their operations.

Previously, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) revealed that at least 121 individuals suspected of being terrorists had died due to abuse and torture inflicted on them by police officers between 2007-2016 in counterterrorism operations.

"No credible investigation has ever been conducted, while the police have sought to shield themselves from accountability by making illusory pledges to investigate themselves," the statement read.

Since Tuesday, the police's Internal Affairs Division (Propam) has been conducting an ethics hearing to probe the behavior of two Densus 88 members who guarded and drove Siyono from his house following his arrest on March 8 to the police's interrogation center.

On the heels of the Densus 88 member's explanation, the prosecutors has reportedly demanded the officer to be expelled, Badrodin said. However, Badrodin said sanctions would depend on testimonies and facts delivered to the hearing. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/04/22/amnesty-international-push-for-accountability.html.