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Komnas HAM urges AGO to appeal against ‘Bloody Paniai’ acquittal
Komnas HAM is urging the AGO to file a cassation appeal with the country's top court against the full acquittal handed down by a regional human rights court, to the sole defendant ever brought to trial in connection with the 2014 Bloody Paniai mass shooting of protesters by security forces in Papua.
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Stock illustration of the scales of justice and human rights (Shutterstock/garagestoc)
T
he National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has called for the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to appeal a recent ruling by a regional human rights court that acquitted the sole defendant in the 2014 fatal shooting of civilians in Paniai regency, Papua.
The Makassar Human Rights Court in South Sulawesi ruled last week that the incident was a gross human rights violation but found Isak Sattu, a retired Indonesian Army major and the only accused on trial in relation to the case, was not guilty of “crimes against humanity”. Isak, who was a liaison officer with the Paniai Military Command (Kodim) at the time of the incident, was cleared of all charges.
Two judges on the five-member bench dissented, saying that Isak was guilty for failing to stop the shooting as part of his duty.
AGO prosecutors had demanded that Isak be sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The Bloody Paniai incident occurred in the regency on Dec. 8, 2014, when security forces opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators protesting the alleged beating of a youth the previous day by members of the Indonesian Military (TNI). Five people, including four teenagers, were killed during the incident, and 21 other civilians were injured.
Read also: Indonesia military to blame for 2014 Papua killings: Rights commission
The AGO investigated the case after Komnas HAM concluded in early 2020 that the Paniai tragedy was a “gross human rights violation”.
