North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Agus Andrianto said the police came to the conclusion after gathering evidence through an investigation. The police also found that five people had robbed the activist while helping him to the hospital. 

“Our investigation shows that the victim died due to injuries sustained in a single-vehicle crash,” Agus said during a press conference on Friday, ruling out earlier speculation that the lawyer, who represented the North Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment’s (Walhi North Sumatra), had been a victim of a planned attack.

Golfried had lost contact with his family two weeks ago and was found severely injured on the side of the Simpang Pos Padang Bulan overpass in Medan. He died at Adam Malik Hospital on Oct. 6.

Agus said the police suspected Golfried had been operating his motorcycle under the influence of alcohol and might have also caused the accident after finding traces of alcohol in his system during an autopsy. Moreover, Agus also stated that the victim had fallen on his right side after hitting the pavement with his motorcycle, seeing that Golfried was only injured on the right side of his body. 

“The victim’s body was tilted over by the time we found him. The right side of his head was on the concrete, and blood was coming out of it. We found his motorcycle in front of his body,” Agus said.

North Sumatra Police traffic unit head Sr. Comr. Juliani said Golfried’s motorcycle also sustained damages from the crash. The police specified that the right handlebar was scratched, the right tail light was broken, as well as its right shock breaker. 

Popular

Indonesian islanders lose ground as islets put on sale

Thailand's political chaos: what happens next?

Lessons from Aceh peace process may still be relevant in today’s conflicts