Lt. Gen. (Ret) Sutiyoso: Antara)

A group of six studens, calling themselves the Student Committee for Reformation and Democracy (Kamerad), staged a demonstration inside the House of Representatives complex, protesting against President Joko Widodo'€™s decision to nominate Sutiyoso as the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief.

The six protesters suddenly barged into the Nusantara III building at the House complex, shouting their opposition to Sutiyoso'€™s imminent appointment as BIN chief.

House security staff apprehended the protesters but released them shortly afterwards.

Kamerad said in a statement that it rejected Sutiyoso as BIN chief due to his poor human rights track record. This was specifically connected to an incident during which he allegedly ordered the raid on the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) headquarters on July 27, 1996, an incident widely known as Kuda Tuli.

During that incident, Sutiyoso, in his position as the Jakarta Military Command (Kodam Jaya) commander, reportedly ordered soldiers to raid the party'€™s office on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta.

Five people are believed to have been killed in the incident, with dozens missing and hundreds injured.

'€œWe urge the House to reject Sutiyoso as BIN chief and ask President Jokowi to change his pick. The intelligence agency should be headed by someone who can guarantee the safety of all Indonesians,'€ protest organizer Sam Heru said on Monday.

He said Kamerad wanted the government to be consistent in their pledges to resolve human rights cases. (ebf)(++++)

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