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Family lambasts police decision to close probe into Afif Maulana’s death
Afif's body was found in a river near the Kuranji Police station in Padang, West Sumatra, on June 9 last year with suspicious blunt impact injuries to his abdomen and chest.
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Protesters hold banners during a protest in Bandung, West Java on July 18, 2024 urging the police to investigate thoroughly the death of Afif Maulana, a 13-year-old boy in Padang, West Sumatra, who was allegedly beaten to death by police officers after being suspected of inciting a brawl. (Antara/Novrian Arbi)
W
est Sumatra Police's decision to close the investigation into the death of 13-year-old Afif Maulana, who was suspected of being fatally tortured by police officers last year, has left his family disappointed.
Afif's father, 36 year old Afrinaldi, said that he had found a lot of discrepancies in the police's investigation into his son's death, which prevented the family from discovering the truth.
"We're very saddened and disappointed with the decision to shut the case. It really is hard to find justice," he said in a press conference on Thursday as reported by Kompas.id.
Afif's body was found in a river near the Kuranji Police station in Padang, West Sumatra, on June 9 last year with suspicious blunt impact injuries to his abdomen and chest.
He was reportedly among dozens of teenagers that officers from the West Sumatra Police had detained the previous night for allegedly planning to participate in a brawl.
The Padang Legal Aid Institute (LBH Padang), which represents Afif's family, alleged that the police tortured all the arrested teenagers, ultimately leading to Afif's death.
The police admitted to the possibility of “procedural errors” in handling the student brawl but denied that Afif was among the students detained by authorities. Police claimed that Afif died after jumping into the river as he tried to escape arrest.
