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Police allegedly intimidate suspects of antiracism protests in Papua: Lawyers
Twenty-five people on trial for violence and vandalism in connection with antiracism protests in Papua are revoking the testimony they gave during the investigation, alleging that police used physical and psychological intimidation to force them to sign the statements, a lawyer of one of the defendants reports.
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People protest in Jayapura on Aug. 19 in response to racist slurs against Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java. Twenty-five people who were named suspects in the protest are undergoing trial. (Antara/Gusti Tanati)
T
he lawyers of 25 men charged with violence and vandalism in connection with protests against racism in Jayapura, Papua, are questioning the legality of the police procedures that led to them being named suspects.
One of the lawyers, Alo Renwarin, said the defendants have revoked their testimony contained in the dossiers delivered before the panel of judges during trial, claiming the investigators used physical and psychological intimidation to get the statements.
“[The defendants were] beaten and intimidated to give testimony in a way that incriminated themselves, despite that they did not do [what they were accused of],” Alo told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
After the defendant gave their testimonies, the Jayapura District Court in Papua held a hearing during which a total of 12 Papua Police officers involved in the investigation of antiracism protests in Jayapura on Aug. 29 last year testified.
The protests had been triggered by Papuan students living in a dormitory in Surabaya, East Java, being subjected to physical and verbal attacks by security personnel and members of mass organizations in early August.
The protests spread across several cities in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua, with the largest mobs reportedly seen in Jayapura.
The defendants’ legal team, led by Sugeng Teguh Santoso, said in a written statement on Tuesday the police admitted during the trial that they received a police chief's order to name suspects within 24 hours.
