National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said the police were adhering to regulations on visitor access for inmates at all penitentiaries, as set in place by Susno himself when he was chief detective.

“The regulations were issued in May 2009 and approved by Susno as chief detective,” he said at the National Police Headquarters in Jakarta. He added that the police had never discriminated against Susno.

Susno has been placed in a room with standard facilities, which he shares with four other prisoners, just like all other inmates, he said.

He added that all inmates had to adhere to rules that set visiting hours, stipulated which rooms an inmate could receive visits in and banned the use of electronic devices.

“We have never treated Susno any differently from the others,” Edward told reporters.

Susno’s relatives and lawyers have said the police have been purposefully denying Susno visits from them.

Henry Yosodiningrat, one of Susno’s lawyers, said he understood that there were regulations limiting access to inmates, but added that in practice the police usually provided leeway for almost all inmates, but not for Susno.

“During my long career as a lawyer, I have seen inmates who were allowed to see their relatives whenever, even outside of established visiting hours,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Henry said that the police also allowed inmates to use mobile phones at all penitentiaries, including at the Police Mobile Brigade Penitentiary, but that Susno was not allowed.

“It seems like the police want Susno to suffer greatly,” he said, adding that the police had even prohibited Susno’s wife and child from bringing him food.

Several senators from the Regional Representatives Council also said police officers had prohibited them from visiting Susno at the penitentiary on Monday.

The senators included, among others, Wayan Sudirta, A.M. Fatwa and John Pieris.

Wayan, chairman of the Anti-corruption Caucus of the Council, said that he and the other senators had  waited outside of the penitentiary for 45 minutes during which they engaged in a long debate with officers at the penitentiary before they were granted access to Susno.

“We warned the police to be careful in dealing with this case. They have committed many human rights violations and used their power excessively,” he said as quoted by Antara.

In their 40-minute meeting with Susno, the senators expressed their full support for Susno and vowed to reveal the judicial mafia as alleged by Susno and clean up the image of the nation’s law enforcement agencies.

Susno was officially arrested on May 11 by the National Police for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rp 500 million (US$55,000) from Sjahril Djohan, a case broker suspect, to “settle” a fraud case at a Riau-based arowana fish-breeding company, PT Salmah Arowana Lestari.

Susno’s arrest has drawn wide-spread public support for him.

Former deputy chief of the South Sumatra Police, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Marsudi Hanafi, visited Susno’s house in Depok over the weekend to express his moral support for Susno and his family.

“We don’t want to interfere with the legal process, but we see that Susno has suffered greatly,” he
said in a press release made available by the Susno Defender Team on Monday.

Some 200 people demonstrated at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle Monday to demand the police release Susno. Joining the demonstration were Susno’s wife and child, and his lawyers, Henry Yosodiningrat and Ari Yusuf Amir. (rdf)

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