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House told to evaluate antiterror squad
Jakarta Post - April 13, 2016
The call was made by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and Muhammadiyah, an Islamic organization, on Tuesday. The call follows the results of an independent autopsy on Siyono, an alleged terrorist who died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody.
The autopsy showed that Siyono died from a broken rib piercing his heart. The result contradicted earlier statements by the police that Siyono had died from internal bleeding in the head after being hit by a blunt object following a fight with a Densus 88 officer in a car.
"We hope House Commission III will evaluate Densus 88's operational procedures," Muhammadiyah Youth Association chairman Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said on Tuesday.
Densus 88 arrested Siyono in March without an arrest warrant, and four days later announced his death to his family. He was said to be one of the leaders of the neo-Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group.
Komnas HAM found a number of irregularities regarding Siyono's death, including the police's unclear information about the cause of death, their efforts to prohibit Siyono's family from conducting an autopsy and excessive surveillance during the funeral. Furthermore, Rp 100 million (US$7,619) was given to Siyono's wife and brother for Siyono's five children and the funeral.
Komnas HAM chairman Imdadun Rahmat said that, based on the facts, the National Police, particularly Densus 88, were guilty of human rights abuses.
"Moreover, Siyono is not the first one to be abused, and killed, by the police," Imdadun said, revealing that Komnas HAM had recorded 121 similar cases of alleged criminals abused by police officers and tortured to death between 2007 and 2016.
Busyro Muqoddas, head of Muhammadiyah's legal and human rights division, complained about the amendment process to Law No. 9/2013 on the prevention and eradication of terrorism, particularly Article 28 of the draft bill, which grants the police the authority to extend the detention period for a terror suspect by up to one month.
"In two or three days, the authorities can cause a person's death. What will happen if they have one month?" Busyro said.
The House has established a special committee to deliberate the amendment of the Terrorism Law, comprising several members from commissions III and I.
Commission I deputy chairman TB Hasanuddin of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who is also a member of the committee, said the committee had yet to determine whether to discuss the authority of Densus 88. "Let's not go too far. We need Densus 88. But of course, violating human rights must be punished," Hasanuddin said.
Another committee member, Arsul Sani from the United Development Party (PPP), said the House should not rush to pass the bill before the Siyono controversy was clear.
National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said the police would consider the results of the autopsy initiated by Komnas HAM and Muhammadiyah in its own investigation into Siyono's death.
"We have our own mechanisms. We'll see if their autopsy matches the results of our own investigation. We'll see whether or not a code has been breached. It could constitute a breach of ethics, discipline or crime," Badrodin said, declining to say that Densus 88 had gone too far.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/04/13/house-told-evaluate-antiterror-squad.html.
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