9 police officers stand trial over detainees’ suicide

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said nine police officers from the Sijunjung police office, West Sumatra, have stood disciplinary trial for their involvement in the suspected suicide deaths of two teenage detainees, identified as F and BMZ.

They were considered negligent in supervising the Sijunjung detention center that made them lose sight of F, 14, and BMZ, 17, who committed suicide by hanging themselves in their detention cell on Dec. 28, 2011.

“We are still curious to know of how the two detainees could end their lives in the cell without attracting so much attention. That is why we suspect that the officers have been negligent,” Boy said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

F and BMZ were arrested for two different cases. F was arrested on Dec. 21, 2011, for allegedly stealing a donation box from a mosque. Five days later on Dec. 26, police arrested BMZ for allegedly stealing a motorcycle.

On Dec. 28, 2011, the two brothers were found dead, hanging in their detention cell. However, the family of the victims suspected that they were fatally beaten to death by the detention’s officers.

Commenting on this, Boy said that if there were any indications of violence used on the teenagers, the police would bring the officers to justice themselves.

“We will be open to any possible development in this case,” Boy said.

So far, he said, the police’s internal supervision division had investigated only possible negligence regarding the equipment used in the suicide incident.(iwa)