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Komnas HAM steps into gay cop case
Komnas HAM is expected to provide assistance for the fired policeman.
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TT, an officer at the Semarang Police in Central Java, said that he was nothing but a victim of discriminatory policy and vowed to fight for his rights with the help of local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy groups. (JP/Suherdjoko)
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n the wake of a policeman’s dismissal because of his "divergent" sexual orientation, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has pledged to step into the case and come up with a solution.
Komnas HAM commissioner Beka Ulung Hapsara said the commission would first gather information from the two parties in the case, the dismissed policeman and his supervisor, before issuing recommendations.
Beka had also considered providing the fired policeman assistance during the trial to restore his dignity. “We will probably provide an expert witness at the hearing,” he said.
The Jakarta Post reported last week that an officer of the Semarang Police in Central Java, identified only as TT, had been dishonorably discharged last December for being a homosexual. The 29-year-old brigadier is now challenging his dismissal at the Semarang State Administrative Court.
“Based on the basic principles of human rights, no individual or institution is allowed to discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation,” Beka said after meeting with TT’s lawyer Ma’ruf Bajammal at the Komnas HAM headquarters in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday.
Ma’ruf said separately that he went to Komnas HAM to ask for the commission’s help in the case. The commission, he said, was responsible for protecting and upholding the principles of human rights.
“With Komnas HAM’s help, hopefully, we can restore our client’s right to work with the police,” said the lawyer at the Legal Aid Institute for Society.
