INDONESIA: Police must immediately and properly investigate the disappearance of a journalist 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the disappearance and alleged murder of a journalist from the daily Berita Sore newspaper in Nias, North Sumatera, Indonesia. The victim, Elyuddin Telaumanua (known as Ely) was kidnapped by a group of people in Teluk Dalam Kabupaten Southern Nias on 24 August 2005. Ely had recently reported on criminal gangs, local corruption and irregularities in local elections.

The police in North Sumatera announced the following day that although they had identified several suspects, they were unable to arrest them because witnesses were unwilling to testify out of fear for their lives. A reward of 5 million rupiah (US$500) has since been offered by the police to witnesses willing to testify in the case, but so far none have come forward.

According to the latest updates we have received, the family of the victim recently met with the National Commission of Human Rights and the Indonesian National Police regarding this matter.

The AHRC calls for your urgent intervention in this case. Please write a letter to the local authorities urging them to take all measures to ensure the arrest of the alleged perpetrators as soon as possible and provide protection to the witnesses, through enacting the victims and protection bill, which is currently pending with the Justice and Human Rights Ministry Department.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Elyudin Telaumanua (51), known as Ely
Occupation: Journalist for the daily Berita Sore newspaper
Alleged perpetrators: A group of six persons, two of whom are Samagaho (the head of the Bawogamowo village), and the brother of Bajo (as explained below)
Date of incident: 24 August 2005

On 17 August 2005, Ely left his home in the northern town of Gunung Sitoli for a reporting trip by motorcycle. Before he left, he received several telephone calls from the Chairman of the Local Government (DPRD Teluk Dalam), Hadirat Manao.

On farewelling his wife, Elisa Sederhana Harahap, Ely pointed to the back of a photograph and said: “If something ever happens to me, you should ask this person”. On the back of the photograph it read: “seeking for Teluk Dalam on a case of Nasman Manao”. Nasman Manao is the brother of Hadirat Manao.

When Ely arrived in Teluk Dalam he was met by Hadirat Manao who asked Ely to reveal what information he had on the local County Election in Southern Nias, on which Ely wrote about in the Berita Sore.

On 24 August 2005, Ely went from Lahusa to Gunung Sitoli by motorcycle. On his way he stopped at his friend, Urukan Maruhawa’s house in the village of Hilidrasoniha. When Ely continued onto Teluk Dalam, Ukuran Marumaha went with him. On their way the two men stopped at Bajo’s house to pay their condolences. (Bajo was killed by some unknown group of people on 20 August 2005 in the village of Helezalulu and Ely reported on his death).

On the way to Teluk Dalam, between the villages of Hilinanenika and Hilisatara, Ely and Ukuran Marumaha were chased by six men riding motorcycles. When the chasers got closer to them, they went towards Ely, and proceeded to beat him. Ely told Ukuran Marumaha to run for his life and to go to the nearest police station and tell the police about this incident. While fleeing, Ukuran Marumaha looked back at the attackers and saw them taking Ely away.

People in the village witnessed that one of the chasers was Samagaho, the head of the Bawogamowo village (Kepala Desa) and another was the brother of Bajo. Ely was taken to Bajo’s house where he was again brutaly assaulted by the head of the village. The villagers who saw the dreadful attack could only stand in silence as they feared fo their lives should they intervene.

Several witnesses maintain that they saw Ely die from the brutal beating he had suffered. These same witnesses say that Ely’s body was then thrown into the sea off the Nias Genesi coast. According to these witnesses, Ely’s attackers then returned to the burrial ceremony at Bajo’s house.

The witnesses maintain that late that night Ely’s dead body was found afloat along the shore. When people saw the floating body, and went to look more closely, they were forbiden to do so by a group who were believed to have been sent by the head of the village. Ely’s body was then burned with Bajo’s and covered over by cement. The police however, are yet to confirm this.

The police in North Sumatera announced the following day that although they had identified suspects for the disappearance of Ely, they were unable to arrest them because witnesses are unwilling to testified against the suspect out of fear for their lives.

On 29 September 2005 police found Ely’s motorcycle in the underbrush of a coconut plantation in the village of Hilitataro, Teluk Dalam, Southern Nias.

According to journalists from the Berita Sore, the motive’s of this kidnapping and assault are the result of the upcoming election of the local government in Southern Nias and Ely’s coverage of this.

At the beginning of September, one of Bajo’s cousins telephone Ely’s wife and stated that Ely had been killed and his body was taken to the Nias Genesi sea, where it was put in a shaft and covered over by rocks.

Prior to his trip to Teluk Dalam, Ely received numerous calls from Hadirat Manao, requesting him to go there in relation to the mayoral election in Kabupaten Southern Nias. Ely’s first visit to Teluk Dalam was in mid July 2005. That time he went with his fellow journalist, Hatoli Lase. The second time, on 17 August 2005, was when Ely disappeared and was allegedly killed.

SUGGESTED ACTION

Please send a letter to the relevant authorities listed below and express your concern about this serious case.

 

 

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