T

he National Police Commission (Kompolnas) summoned on Tuesday the families and lawyers of five PT ISS Indonesia cleaners who have been imprisoned for child sexual abuse for a hearing related to some alleged irregularities in the case that led to their convictions.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Jakarta Police, the Judicial Commission and the Prosecutor'€™s Commission.

Patra M. Zen, the lawyer for Virgiawan Amin and Agun Iskandar, two of the five cleaners, told the Kompolnas commissioners that his clients had been tortured by police officers during the investigation and that he hoped the police watchdog could recommend an internal investigation.

'€œMy clients said they had been tortured by police officers who would not stop until they confessed to a crime they did not commit,'€ Patra said Tuesday at Kompolnas headquarters in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

Last December, a panel of judges sentenced Zainal, Syahrial, Agun and Virgiawan Amin to eight years'€™ imprisonment for collectively and continuously sexually abusing a minor at the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS). Afrischa Setyani, the only woman among the five cleaners, got seven years in jail.

During the case investigation, the police also claimed that one suspect, Azwar, committed suicide using cleaning liquid in the toilet when he was in police custody, while the other four male cleaners testified repeatedly during the trial that they had seen Azwar being beaten severely.

On Tuesday'€™s meeting, Patra said that the Jakarta Police must immediately conduct an internal investigation if someone is found dead in their custody.

'€œPolice always claimed that the victim'€™s family did not want an autopsy, but I think that should not be a barrier against finding the truth,'€ the lawyer said while showing a picture of Azwar'€™s bruised and swollen face taken before he was buried.

Kompolnas commissioner Syafriadi Cut Ali said police should look further into Azwar'€™s death as it was unusual to find cleaning liquid in a police detention center. He also asked why Azwar was allowed to go to the toilet with the door locked.

'€œAs far as I know, a prisoner should not even wear trousers when in police custody, as they can be used to hang himself,'€ he said.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Police'€™s teenager, children and women division head Adj. Sr. Comr. Didi Hayamansyah claimed no torture had occurred during the case investigation and emphasized that the police always presume innocence, including in the JIS case.

Didi also maintained that Azwar was found lying in the toilet with an open cleaning liquid bottle beside him.

'€œAzwar did not drink the cleaning liquid in the prisoner'€™s toilet, but in a public toilet because he was not a suspect yet at that time. I think it is normal to have such a liquid in that place,'€ Didi said.

Kompolnas commissioner Hamidah Abdurrahman said the commission was aware that police officers still used torture to get confessions and underlined that it should have been stopped immediately.

'€œI encourage the families to file a report with the internal division; afterwards we will supervise the case closely,'€ Hamidah said.