[Kabar-indonesia] Tapol: Concern for Nelson Rumbiak and others - victims of police brutality

[Joyo at aol.com]

Tapol - the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
August 31, 2006

The maltreatment of a person convicted in the Abepura
case of 16 March 2006

Report by: The team of lawyers for the 16 March 2006
case; Justice and Peace Commission, Jayapura; GKI
Synod; ELSHAM Papua; LP3A Papua; PBHI Jakarta.

[Abridged translation by TAPOL]

Place: In front of Abepura prison Date: Monday 28
August 2006 Perpetrator: Uniformed police officers
Victim: Nelson Ipan Kornelius Rumbiak (20 years)

Chronology

At 6:30 pm, after a hearing at the Jayapura district
court in the case of three persons accused in relation
to the 16 March 2006 Abepura clash, the three accused
were driven back to the prison. They were met at the
front gate of the prison by dozens of police officers
in two trucks. The police began to beat up Nelson
Rumbiak, [who was with the accused]. They struck him
with a rattan stick on the head causing his face to
swell. He fell to the ground and several policemen
kicked him in the left rib while stamping on his body.
He was badly wounded in the ribs. Several police
chased the three accused men into the prison. They
also threatened to beat up prison officers who were
trying to prevent the police from entering the prison.

About three minutes later the lawyers and parents of
the accused men arrived in front of the prison. The
police then fled in their vans. The situation became
chaotic as the prison officials were upset by what the
police had done.

The victim was taken by prison officers to be examined
at Abepura hospital.

He was accompanied by his mother and two lawyers. Our
investigations show that the medical examination was
disrupted by the police, intelligence officers, and
the TNI. As the situation at the hospital was not
safe, the prison officials and the family decided to
take Nelson back to the prison at around 10:30 pm.

Police motivation

This incident began with the examination in court on
23 August of Nelson Rumbiak and others as witnesses
for the prosecution. At that hearing, all the
prosecution witnesses refuted their interrogation
reports, which were damaging to their friends, because
the reports had been obtained by police torture. One
witness, Ferdinand Pakage, said he had been tortured
and shot in the left foot by an officer named Aris
Purbaya. Nelson Rumbiak and one of the accused, Aris
Mandowen, said they'd suffered the same treatment
while being questioned by the police. On the basis of
these statements, the prosecutor promised to bring
additional witnesses to testify about the maltreatment
to the next hearing on 28 August. But the witnesses
who appeared on 28 August were not those named by
Nelson Rumbiak. His legal team protested and asked the
judge for Aris Purbaya and others to appear before the
court. The judge rejected the request without giving a
reason.

The dispute in court led to a heated debate between
the judge and the lawyers as well as the defendants
and the witnesses. This made the police very angry and
provided the motive for them to beat up Nelson
Rumbiak.

The situation appears to have been exacerbated by the
judges delaying the hearings so that they finished
late without considering the safety of the accused and
their families. After the 28 August hearing, several
intelligence officers, police and TNI unsuccessfully
tried to provoke the accused and others by shouting
Papua Merdeka.

 We call upon all our friends to demand:

a) Protection for Nelson Rumbiak and the accused now
in Abepura prison.

b) Protection for Nelson Rumbiak and the accused
against vengeful actions by the police because of the
accusations of maltreatment.

c) An investigation into police involvement in the
maltreatment.

d) That the panel of judges handle the case with due
process applying the principle of innocence before
guilty and safeguard the rights of the accused

e) An end to the arrogance and violence continually
perpetrated by the police against ordinary people in
Papua.

f) That the police and the judges uphold the principle
of basic human rights in handling the case of 16
March.

We strongly condemn the arrogant behaviour of the
police for not respecting the rights of the Papuans.
It is extremely unfortunate that these brutal events
by the law enforcement agencies are taking place when
the Indonesian government is trying to uphold human
rights and has ratified various international
instruments including the Convention against Torture
and the International Covenants on Civil and Political
Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Please contact:

1 P B Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Jalan Merdeka
No. 3, Jakarta Pusat T: (62) 21 3845627 F: (62) 21 -
3457782

2 Mahkamah Agung RI (Supreme Court) Jalan Merdeka
Utara No 9-13 Jakarta Pusat T: (62) 21 384624 F: (62)
21 - 3843624 3 Kejaksaan Agung RI (Attorney General)
Jalan Hasanudin No. 11, Jakarta Pusat T: (62) 21 -
7208557 F: (62) 21 - 7250213

4 Menteri Hukum dan HAM (Minister of Law and Human
Rights) Jl. H.R Rasuna Said KAV. 6-7 Kuningan, Jakarta
Pusat T: (62) 21 - 5233171 F: (62) 21 - 5296482

5 Kapolri (Chief of Police) Jalan Truno Joyo No. 03
Jakarta Selatan T: (62) 21 - 7218012 F: (62) 21 -
7207277

6 Komnas HAM (National Human Rights Commission)
Jl.Latuhary No. 4B Menteng, Jakarta Pusat T: (62) 21 -
3925227 F: (62) 21 - 3151042

7 Pangdam XVII/Trikora (Papua military commander) Jl.
Polimak IV No. 1 Kodam Baru, Jayapura, PAPUA T: (62)
967 - 537375

8 Kapolda Papua (Papua police chief) Jl.
R.Samratulangi No, 8 Jayapura, Papua F: (62) 967 -
537211

9 Komda HAM Papua (Papua Human Rights Commission) Jl.
Polimak I Belakang PT Hasrat Abadi, Jayapura, Papua F:
(62) 967 - 523771

10 Pengadilan Tinggi Papua (High Court, Papua) Jl.
Tanjung Ria Baseg Jayapura F: (62) 967 - 541443

11 Kejaksaan Tinggi Papua (Chief Prosecutor, Papua)
Jl. Anggrek No: 6 Base G Pasir II Tanjung Ria,
Jayapura-Papua F: (62) 967 - 541140

12 Pengadilan Negeri Jayapura (Jayapura District
Court) Jl. Raya Abepura, Jayapura, Papua T: (62) 967 -
581157 F: (62) 967 - 581014

13. Gubernur Papua (Governor) Jl. Sosa-Siu Dok II
Jayapura, Papua T: (62) 967 - 537631 F: (62) 967 -
537211

14. DPR Papua (Provincial assembly) Jl. Sam Ratulangi
No. 2 Jayapura, Papua T: (62) 967 - 523855 15. Majelis
Rakyat Papua (Papuan Peoples' Assembly) Hotel Numbay,
Jl.

Trikora No. 23, Dok V Atas, Jayapura, Papua T: (62)
967 - 534185 F: (62) 967 - 534934

Jayapura, 28 Agustus 2006


Paul Barber TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights
Campaign, 25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153

Internet: http://tapol.gn.apc.org 

Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia,
1973-2004 

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