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Four students in danger after police torture
Amnesty International Urgent Action - March 26, 2015
Four students have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated by police in Indonesia Papua province. There are concerns for their safety.
Four students, three of them children, were arbitrarily detained and tortured or otherwise ill-treated by police on 18 March 2015, according to their lawyer.
Eldi Kogoya, aged 17, Timotius Tabuni, aged 17 and Lesman Jigibalom, aged 23, were going home, on their motorcycles, on the night of 18 March, when they were followed and stopped by plainclothes armed members of a special police unit, the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob), near the Cigombong market in Jayapura city, Papua province. When they asked why they were being detained the police accused them of committing a crime and at least 11 Brimob officers stabbed, beat, punched and kicked them. A fourth student, Mies Tabo, aged 14, who was nearby and witnessed the attack, called out for help but was kicked, slapped and threatened by the police to stay silent. All four were then dragged along the road to the nearby Brimob headquarters. They were detained there briefly before being sent to hospital. All four have been released without charge.
All four are suffering from wounds and bruises all over their faces and bodies. One of them, Lesman Jigibalom, is in a critical condition in hospital with a stab wound to his right shoulder which pierced his lung. Eldi Kogoya has a broken rib while Timotius Tabuni has a gash cut to his head. All of them have cuts and bruises on their knees from being dragged along the road. They and their families have been traumatised.
Please write immediately in English or your own language:
Head of the Division on Professionalism
& Security (Propam)
Inspector General Irjen
Syafruddin
Kadiv Propam Mabes Polri
Jl. Trunojoyo No. 3
Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Fax: +62 21 7280 0947
Twitter: @DivHumasPolri
Salutation:
Dear Inspector General Irjen
Syafruddin
Director General for Human
Rights
Aidir Amin Daud
Ministry of Law and Human
Rights
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav
No. 4-5
Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan
12950,
Indonesia
Fax: +62 215 253095
Twitter: @Humas_Kumham
Salutation: Dear Aidir Amin
Daud
And copies to:
Chairperson of the National
Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM)
Nur Kholis
Jl Latuharhary
No.4 Menteng Jakarta Pusat
10310, Indonesia
Fax: +62 213 912026
Email: pengaduan@komnasham.go.id
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Name
Address 1
Address 2 Address 3 Fax
Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
Additional information
The Indonesian security forces have a track record of committing human rights violations in the Papua region with near impunity. Amnesty International has received credible reports of unlawful killings and unnecessary and excessive use of force and firearms as well as torture and other ill-treatment by both police and military personnel.
Although the authorities have made some attempts to hold the perpetrators to account using internal disciplinary mechanisms, criminal investigations into human rights violations by the security forces are all too rare, leaving many victims without access to justice and reparation and perpetrators with little or nothing to deter them from committing further violations.
Indonesia has yet to amend its Criminal Code to fully incorporate a definition of torture. The lack of sufficient legal provisions on acts of torture creates a loophole which has devastating consequences. It provides no legal deterrent to state agents who commit these acts and does not provide a sufficient legal basis on which state agents who have committed torture can be brought to justice.
International human rights observers, non-governmental organizations and journalists are severely restricted in their work in the Papua region. The denial of free and unimpeded access to these provinces limits independent monitoring and reporting of the human rights situation there. During his presidential campaign in 2014, President Joko Widodo promised to open up access to Papua to international observers but has so far done nothing about this since coming to office.
Name: Eldi Kogoya, Timotius Tabuni, Lesman Jigibalom, Mies Tabo
Gender m/f: m
UA: 72/15 Index: ASA 21/1312/2015 Issue Date: 26 March 2015
Source: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/ASA21/1312/2015/en/.
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