INDONESIA: Police attack and shoot at 10 Papuan youth, killing one and injuring others

Dear Friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the shooting and brutal attack on 10 indigenous Papuan youth conducted by police officers of Tigi Police Sector (Polsek Tigi), Deiyai Regency, Papua Province. The attack resulted in the death of Yoteni Agapa (19), while Melianus Mote (21) was seriously injured. Furthermore, eight other youth suffered injuries and trauma. The attack was the police response to the youth blocking the road and collecting money from four-wheel vehicles; the police officers did not effectively attempt to dialogue with the boys to stop their action, and instead shot and injured them.

CASE NARRATIVE:

On 25 June 2015, at around 6:30 p.m., 10 youth brought a dog for hunting rats near a farm fence by Nabire-Paniai Road. After catching 10 grass rats they went back to their houses, but when they arrived at Kotubado, the dog ran onto the road and a passing truck suddenly hit and killed the dog. The unidentified driver then sped off towards Tigi, Deiyai Regency. In anger, the youth created a road blockade at around 8 p.m., at Kotubado, Ugapuga, District East Kamuu, Dogiyai Regency, and collected between IDR 20,000-50,000 from each four wheel vehicle that passed. In total, the 10 boys collected money from six vehicles. 

The six drivers who paid them filed a report at the Tigi (Waghete) police sector (Polsek Tigi), Deiyai Regency, Papua Province. At 10 p.m., the police officers arrived at the blockade in a car. Yoteni Agapa stood at the left door of the car, while Melianus Mote stood at the right door. Suddenly, one of the police officers got out and shot Agapa in the chest. After being shot, Agapa ran towards Iyadimi mountain. While he was running, the police shot him again twice on his right arm, and finally Agapa fell. According to one of the witnesses, the security forces ran towards Agapa. “They surrounded him. They kicked the body. They also hit him with their rifle even though he was already dead. Then they stabbed him with a bayonet on his chest, where he was hit by the bullet. It made the gunshot hole bigger.” 

One of the boys was hiding behind the grass and witnessed the perpetrators beating and kicking the dead body of Agapa and stabbing him in the chest. When the police stabbed Agapa, they used a flashlight as it was very dark. The police officers then left towards Waghete. 

Meanwhile, when Melianus Mote saw Agapa shot by the police officers, he tried to run, but the driver of the police vehicle stabbed his right arm. After sometime, he realized that his arm was bleeding. The other eight youth tried to escape, some jumping into the river, some running on the road until Ugapuga.

At 10:30 p.m., when the Upagupa community heard the police officers had shot to death Yoteni Agapa, they arrived at the location of shooting. They started to take the dead body and collected evidence, including a live bullet with the code number PT. PIN 556. They also found two other live bullets in Agapa’s right arm. 

On June 26, at around 1 a.m., the dead body of Agapa arrived at Jigiugi Village, his home town.  At 11 a.m., the Chief of Police of Kamuu Police Sector came to Agapa’s house and offered to conduct an autopsy, which was rejected by Agapa’s family. The police tried to convince the family that an autopsy was important to prove that Agapa was not shot to death, but stabbed to death. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Papua Province is one of the most dangerous places in Indonesia. The AHRC’s previous monitoring and documentation reveals that there is practically no effective law enforcement against perpetrators of crimes. After the Government divided Papua into the two provinces of Papua and West Papua, various crimes still occur widely. The security forces who conduct violence and serious crimes enjoy impunity, and cases are investigated only if there is massive pressure and media coverage. Even then, only a light sentence will be imposed by the court. 

In its concluding observations on the initial report of Indonesia’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 21 August 2013, the UN Human Rights Committee stated that “the Committee is concerned at increased reports of excessive use of force and extra-judicial killings by the police and the military during protests, particularly in West Papua”, and recommended that the government prevent this by ensuring that law enforcement officers “comply with the 1990 United Nations’ Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. It should also take appropriate measures to strengthen the National Police Commission to ensure that it can effectively deal with reported cases of alleged misconduct by law enforcement personnel.”

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the authorities listed below, asking them to ensure that the police officers responsible for the shooting of Yoteni Agapa (19) and injuring of eight others are prosecuted and punished accordingly. The Chief of National Police must order the Chief of Police of Papua Province to investigate properly and comprehensively the shooting and brutal attack on the 10 youth. Moreover, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) have to monitor the investigation processes and ensure that the police officers who perpetrated the crime are held accountable. Furthermore, the Government of Indonesia must be more consistent in conducting police reform and comprehensively evaluate the placement of security forces in Papua and West Papua provinces to avoid future crimes and excessive use of force in the provinces. 

The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions, and Special Rapporteur on the rights of the indigenous peoples

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