APSN | LBH Jakarta questions Tito's track record amid compliments

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LBH Jakarta questions Tito's track record amid compliments

Jakarta Post - June 21, 2016

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Jakarta – Arbitrary arrests of activists and the suppression of free speech in Papua and Jakarta are included in the track record of National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian, the widely praised sole candidate for National Police chief, lawyers claim.

In a report entitled "Track Records of Police Chief Candidates" released over the weekend, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) questioned Tito's policies when he served as Papua Police chief in 2012 to 2014 and as Jakarta Police chief in 2015 to 2016.

"Throughout 2013, Tito was allegedly responsible for human rights abuses [in Papua] including the shooting, disappearances, murders, restriction and dismissal of demonstrations that resulted in three dead victims and two injured, and also the arbitrary arrests of 26 people," the report says as published on the LBH Jakarta website, www.bantuanhukum.or.id.

As Jakarta Police chief, Tito was also reportedly responsible for several evictions, the criminalization of workers and members of the Papuan Students Alliance, who held rallies in October and December 2015, respectively. Furthermore, Tito was also suspected of giving a green light to the dispersing of the Belok Kiri (Turn Left) Festival, an event held in March to discuss the history of the leftist movement in Indonesia as well as the 1965 Communist purge.

The report also claims that Tito said the police by law had the authority to violate human rights when doing their jobs. "I disagree that the police cannot use violence," he said in November 2015, the report says quoting tempo.co.

Tito, the youngest three-star police general to be nominated for the post, has been lauded for his extensive educational background and achievements during his career at the National Police. Often dubbed a terrorism expert, Tito saw his career soar after being named best student when he graduated from the Police Academy in 1987 up until he won the favor of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to gain the sole nomination for top cop.

The House of Representatives is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on Tito before deciding whether to approve his promotion to the position of National Police chief to replace Gen. Badrodin Haiti. (vps/rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/21/lbh-jakarta-questions-titos-track-record-amid-compliments.html.