Help Two Men Detained And Feared Tortured In Papua Province

Amnesty petition at
Help two men detained and feared tortured in Papua province ...

Daniel Gobay and Matan Klembiap are currently detained at the Jayapura district police station in Papua province. Police officers allegedly tortured them and ...

www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/31236/

Daniel Gobay and Matan Klembiap are currently detained at the Jayapura district police station in Papua province. Police officers allegedly tortured them and five other men during interrogation about the whereabouts of two pro-independence activists. They have not received medical treatment and they have not had access to a lawyer since their arrest.

According to credible sources, plainclothes police officers arbitrarily arrested Daniel Gobay and Matan Klembiap on 15 February 2013 in Depapre, along with five other men. They were then forced to strip, were kicked in the face, head and back, and beaten with rattan sticks and wooden blocks. Police officers allegedly pressed the barrels of their guns to their heads, mouth and ears. They were interrogated until late at night and the morning of the following day.

On 16 February, five of the men were released without charge but Daniel Gobay and Matan Klembiap remain in police custody and are reportedly to be charged with "possession of a sharp weapon" under the Emergency Regulation 12/1951.

Demand Daniel and Matan receive medical treatment, lawyers and have their torture claims investigated

We will be regularly faxing the following statement with a list of updated signatories to General Timur Pradopo, Head of the Indonesian National Police and Brigjen Syafruddin, Head of the Division on Professionalism and Security (Propam).

Petition text:

Dear General Pradopa and General Syafruddin

Daniel Gobay and Matan Klembiap were arbitrarily arrested on 15 February 2013 and have been detained at the Jayapura district police station in Papua province since that time. They were interrogated about the whereabouts of two pro-independence activists and have since been charged with possession of a sharp weapon.

According to credible sources, both men have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including being stripped naked, kicked and beaten with rattan sticks and wooden blocks, and had guns pressed to their head, mouth and ears by police officers.

I acknowledge and offer my sympathy for the recent reported deaths of eight Indonesian security personnel in the Papua province on 21 February. I also acknowledge the ongoing security situation in the province.

However, the Regulation of the Chief of the National Police regarding the Implementation of Human Rights Principles and Standards in the Discharge of Duties of the Indonesian National Police (No. 8/2009) states that police must “refrain from instigating or tolerating any act of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. As head of Indonesia's police, I am sure you wish to see this regulation being upheld.

I call on you to:

• Ensure that Daniel Gobay and Matan Klembiap are not tortured or otherwise ill-treated.
• Ensure that the two men have access to medical treatment, and to lawyers of their choosing.
• Immediately order an effective and independent investigation into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of the seven men by police officers. Suspected criminal offences involving human rights violations must be dealt with through the criminal justice system, rather than only internally and as disciplinary breaches to ensure that all those responsible for torture and other ill-treatment, including persons with chain of command responsibility, are brought to justice in fair trials, and that victims are provided reparations. Particular attention must be paid to the protection of victims, witnesses and their families.

ENDS

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