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Personnel reported over alleged unethical conduct against Papuan students
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Standing for their rights: Activists, accompanied by the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua and the Papuan Students Alliance, stage a rally in front of the United Nations building in Jakarta on Dec. 19, 2016. (Antara/M.Agung Rajasa)
T
he Surabaya Legal Aid Institute (LBH) has reported local security personnel to the East Java Police for allegedly committing unethical acts during a raid at a Papuan student dorm in Surabaya, East Java, recently.
LBH Surabaya detailed in a letter submitted on Monday five violations allegedly committed by the personnel.
They include the police’s failures to show a warrant, verbal abuses perpetrated against a lawyer and a student, sexual harassment and physical violence committed against students at the dorm, the use of excessive force and harsh treatment of an active lawyer, who is protected by the 2003 law on advocates and the 2011 law on legal aid.
Last month, the police clamped down a movie screening hosted by Papuan students in the city.
The Surabaya raid occurred on Friday evening, during which hundreds of police, military and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) personnel raided a Papuan student dorm on Jl. Kalasan, Tambaksari, Surabaya.
“We decided to report Tambaksari Police chief Comr. Prayitno and Surabaya Police chief Sr. Comr. Rudi Setiawan to the East Java Police’s internal affairs division [Propam] for investigation,” LBH Surabaya director Wachid Habibullah said.
Prayitno denied the accusations, saying the police just wanted to conduct a public order raid by launching a sudden inspection to check legal documents of people living at the dorm. The raid was launched based on information of local residents who reported suspicious activity in the building.
Prayitno said the incident occurred because students denied them entrance, forcing security forces to take measures to enter the dorm. (nor/ebf)
