Police Officers In Sorong Are Human Rights Criminal In Papua

Police Officers In Sorong Are Human Rights Criminal In Papua

Statement by Yan Christian Warinussy, Executive Director of LP3BH-Manokwari issued on 11 May 2013

Intensive investigations have been conducted by volunteers and
investigators of LP3BH-Manokwari into the shooting incident on 30
April in Aimas, Sorong which is believed to have been committed by
members of the police force in Sorong and members of the TNI (Indonesian
Army). Two civilians, Abner Malagwak, 22 years old, and Thomas Blesya,
22 years old, were killed during the incident.

During these investigations, the LP3BH found strong evidence suggesting
that the police and the TNI had acted in violation of the law when they
opened fire without warning on Papuan civilians. The shooting should be
classified as a gross violation of human rights as stipulated in
Article 7, Law 26/2000 on human rights courts, that is to say, as a
crime against humanity.

We found concrete evidence to show that the police chief of Sorong and
the Deputy Police chief of Sorong should be called to account as the
two officers who led the operation which had been described by as an
operation for dialogue but during which they used firearms.

The two police officers should be classified as Human Rights Criminals
whose actions resulted in the death of two civilians while another
civilian, Mrs Salomina Klaiban, later died of her wounds after being
taken to hospital.

These two senior police officers in Sorong should be regarded as Human
Rights Criminals who must be called to account in a court of law. It is
therefore highly appropriate for the two police officers to be dismissed
so to ensure that they can be called to account under the law as
stipulated in Indonesia's Human Rights Law and the Human Rights Courts

In connection with the commencement of investigations into the treason
case in the name of Isak Klaiban and his colleagues at police
headquarters in Sorong, the Manokwari LP3BH, as a legal advocacy
organisation, urges the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) of
the Republic of Indonesia to conduct pro justitia investigations of
the two police officers mentioned above as well as the troops who were
involved in the action, including the military commander (DANDIM) who
led the TNI operation during this highly regrettable incident.

ENDS

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