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Opportunists behind riots, deaths of 10 people in post-election protests: Komnas HAM
The commission also found "excessive use of force" by the police in handling the riots, as seen in footage spread on the internet.
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Police fire tear gas at protesters during a riot near the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) office in Jakarta on May 22, 2019. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
Opportunists were behind the deaths of 10 people in post-election riots in Jakarta and Pontianak, West Kalimantan, in May, according to a National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) fact-finding team.
During a press conference at the Komnas HAM office in Central Jakarta on Monday, the team said there were indications that a mastermind had orchestrated the deaths to turn the initially peaceful rallies ugly.
This finding is in accordance with a police statement.
"The deaths were also aimed at triggering instability in the country," said Beka Ulung Hapsara, a Komnas HAM commissioner who is the deputy head of the team.
Beka shrugged off suggestions that police personnel may have been involved in the deaths, saying that police officers did not carry arms during the rallies.
