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Padang Police close case on alleged fatal torture of teen in custody
The Padang Police chief announced that the investigation into the alleged fatal torture of a 13-year-old boy while in custody had been closed, citing lack of evidence.
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Illustration of a police tape sealing a crime scene. (Shutterstock/Prath)
W
est Sumatra’s Padang Police have closed their investigation into the death of a 13-year-old boy, identified as AM, who was allegedly beaten to death by police officers, saying that they found no evidence of abuse.
On June 9, local residents discovered the bruised body of the junior high school student in a river near a village in Padang.
AM was reportedly among dozens of teenagers that officers from the Kuranji Police had detained for allegedly planning to participate in a brawl, and rumors spread afterward that the teen had been beaten to death while in policy custody.
Padang Police chief Insp. Gen. Suharyono has denied the allegations however, saying that AM was killed when he jumped from a high bridge into the river to avoid police detention.
"The cause of the victim's death was six broken ribs that punctured his lungs. The bruises on his body were due to livor mortis," Suharyo said on Sunday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
Livor mortis, or postmortem lividity, occurs when blood settles in the body after death due to gravity, resulting in discoloration of the skin that resembles bruising.
Read also: Rights agencies demand transparency in probe into death of boy allegedly tortured by cops
Although the police have found no one that witnessed AM jumping into the river, Suharyo said one of the other detained teenagers admitted that AM had asked him to jump from the 20-meter-high bridge to evade capture.
Suharyo also said CCTV footage of the arrest had been automatically deleted by the Kuranji Police system to create space for new recordings.
"The CCTV footage in the station only lasted for 11 days. We tried to restore the footage but failed," he said, adding that the police could reopen the case if new evidence appeared.
An initial report from the Padang Legal Aid Institute claimed that police officers had beaten AM and burned, beaten and electrocuted eight other students who were with him at the time.
The local police force denied they had arrested AM, but admitted to the possibility of “procedural errors” in handling the student brawl.
Seventeen officers are slated to face ethics hearings over their alleged abuse of the teenagers while in police custody. (nal)
