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Police justify lethal shootings to secure Asian Games
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Police check the belongings of visitors entering Depok Police station in West Java, May 15. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
T
he Jakarta Police said shootings during their special operation to secure the Asian Games were conducted according to their standard operational procedure. During the operation, which took place from July 3 to 12, the police had shot 52 suspected criminals in their legs and shot dead 11 others.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono argued that the suspected criminals were shot because they allegedly had resisted and attacked the officers during arrests.
“When one resists and retaliates against us during an arrest, we obviously should take firm action, though not by shooting [the suspect] immediately,” he said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.
The measure, Argo added, was conducted based on articles 48 and 49 of the Criminal Code. “The shooting was necessary, because they potentially put others’ lives in danger otherwise,” he added.
Argo’s statement was made following demands from a coalition comprising several civil society groups to investigate the shootings, as they suspected false arrests and premature shootings in the security operation. (vla)
