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Family questions cause of protestor’s death
Even though the police have repeatedly denied using violence in their handling of the series of mass students rallies that took place in the capital last month, one protester, identified as Maulana Suryadi, has reportedly died, while two others sustained serious injuries
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span>Even though the police have repeatedly denied using violence in their handling of the series of mass students rallies that took place in the capital last month, one protester, identified as Maulana Suryadi, has reportedly died, while two others sustained serious injuries.
According to the police, Maulana, a parking attendant in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, died from "shortness of breath" on Sept. 26 at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital in East Jakarta.
However, after seeing the condition of her son’s body, Maulana’s mother did not buy the police’s account that the 23-year-old man passed away because of an asthma attack brought on by tear gas while participating in the rally.
She said Maulana's face was swollen and that blood was coming from his ears and nose, as reported by tempo.co.
"The police said my son died of asthma, but that’s impossible. I don't believe it," said Maspupah, 53, at her residence in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, last week.
She recalled that on Sept. 25, Maulana told her that he wanted to see the student rally taking place near the House of Representatives complex. Even though she objected to Maulana's plan, her son still went to join the crowd.
The next day, a group of police came to her house and told her that her son had died. They also asked her to come to the police's hospital to collect Maulana's body. The police later told her to sign a document declaring that Maulana’s cause of death was an asthma attack brought on by exposure to tear gas.
The police also reportedly gave the mourning family Rp 10 million (US$707) in compensation. "[They] told us to use the money for the funeral," said Maspupah.
Even though doubts still linger about the cause of Maulana's death, owing to the family’s financial situation, Maspupah had no other choice but to sign the document and receive the money.
Even Maulana's stepbrother, Bayu, who bathed the corpse said he found bruises on his brother's nape and back.
However, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian denied any violence had been used by his subordinates as they dispersed the protesters. He added that Maulana "had died of a shortness of breath".
Public advocacy groups in Jakarta also suspect the police used excessive force in their handling of the week-long protests outside the House building, when thousands of university students and school-age children staged rallies against several controversial bills.
A number of people were injured during the violence that broke out at rallies in front of the House in late September, believed to be the biggest student protest since 1998.
The police previously revealed they had arrested 1,489 people and intend to prosecute 380 of them.
The 380 individuals are facing different charges, including for allegedly spreading false information, hurling rocks at police, possessing sharp weapons, vandalizing police stations and possessing Molotov cocktails, the police said.
Almost half (179) remain in police custody, according to National Police spokesman Comr. Asep Adi Saputra.
Separately, Akbar Alamsyah, an alleged demonstrator, was reportedly found on Sept. 28 with severe head injuries.
"He is currently in a coma at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta," Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) lawyer Nelson Nikodemus Simamora confirmed on Sunday, adding that "Akbar's cranium was broken, the same as happened to another severely injured student, Faizal Amir".
Faizal, a student of Al Azhar University in Jakarta, was admitted to the intensive care unit after he was found in a coma following the riots.
The 21-year-old was found lying unconscious with severe wounds to his head at Taman Ria Senayan after running from the clashes in front of the House complex, said Jonathan Hercules, the head of youth organization Pemuda Pancasila (PP) Jakarta’s student unit.
Faizal underwent two operations, one to his head and one to his shoulder and has reportedly passed the critical state. "Faizal can now respond by blinking his eyes when someone visits him, although he is not yet able to actively communicate," Jonathan further said.
Two other students who participated in similar rallies in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, also died after allegedly being shot.
Human rights groups have demanded an investigation into the deaths, as they called for the police to refrain from using excessive force when handling student protests.
"The authorities should immediately launch a thorough, independent and impartial investigation and the perpetrators should be brought to court,” Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said.
