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Jakarta riot: Police violence in spotlight after viral beating video
The riot occurred following a street protest held by supporters of losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto to oppose the election result.
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Police fired tear gas to Protesters during a riot near the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 22, 2019. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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viral video showing an unarmed man being repeatedly beaten with sticks by riot police officers in a parking lot near Al Huda Mosque in Kampung Bali, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, has put the issue of police violence in the spotlight.
The National Police have confirmed the incident took place and vowed to take action against the officers responsible for the violence.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said the man being beaten was Andri Bibir, who the police have said supplied rocks to rioters that were thrown at police officers during a riot in front of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) headquarters in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.
The riot occurred following a street protest held by supporters of losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto to oppose the election result.
“In relation to the viral video, we have asked the National Police’s internal affairs division [Propam] to question witnesses including the man beaten, Andri,” Dedi said during a press conference on Saturday. “The police will, for sure, enforce the law against any officer who commits a violation while on duty,” he added.
Dedi said the officers’ actions against Andri, as captured in the video, were not in line with the police’s standard operating procedure.
False narrative
