INDONESIA: Custodial torture of ten men by Central Sulawesi Provincial Police 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence Sulawesi (Kontras Sulawesi) and the Institute for the Development of Legal and Human Rights Study (LPSHAM) regarding police torture of 10 suspects on 25 October 2005. The 10 men are suspected of killing three police officers in a clash between police and villagers in the hamlet of Salena (Dusun Salena), Kelurahan Buluri, Kota Palu, Central Sulawesi.

The ten men were arrested as suspects and detained under Indonesia’s penal code and emergency law. During the investigation, officers at the Central Sulawesi Provincial Police Office tortured the 10 victims in various ways and threatened to shoot them if they made any sound during the process. Furthermore, the suspects were only given meals twice daily, both consisting of rotten food. They were only allowed limited access to their families.

The torture of criminal suspects is common in Indonesia. The AHRC urges you to intervene in this matter and demand a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation so that the perpetrators are brought to justice. Owing to the gravity of the crime the punishment should not be confined to disciplinary action alone. We also urge you to ask the Indonesian government to comply with its obligations as a state party to the UN Convention against Torture (CAT) and bring it’s the penal code into accordance with the CAT. Unless this is done, not only will there be no effective remedies for victims of such crimes, but there also will not be any way to eliminate the occurrence of such crimes.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Victims: Sahidu (30), Hasanudin (40), Bambang (21), Lei (35), Nanga (17), Masuna (48), Kahar (21), Raya (29), Asani (45) and Olimin (21), all of whom are farmers from Salena Dusun, Kelurahan Buluri, Kota Palu  Central Sulawesi Province
Alleged perpetrators: Police officers in the Central Sulawesi Provincial Police Office, one of whom is Brigadier (Bripda) Max
Place of incident: Central Sulawesi Provincial Police custody, Jl. Sam Ratulangi Palu, Central Sulawesi
Date of incident: 27 October 2005 until now

Details of the incident:

On October 27 and 28, 312 villagers from Dusun Salena surrendered to the Central Sulawesi Provincial Police Office, where they were interrogated over the killing of three Central Sulawesi Provincial Police officers several days earlier. The police then arrested 11 of the villagers as murder suspects of the three police officers. Ten of them were held in special custody, while one of them was kept separately. The ten villagers who were in special custody were beaten repeatedly, including being hit on their heads with guns and kicked with boots. The police also forced them to do 100 push ups, remove their clothes and hold each others’ penises. The suspects were only fed rotten food twice a day.

On 13 December 2005, a complaint of torture was made to the commander of police. Brigadier General Oegroseno, Central Sulawesi Provincial Chief of Police denied that torture had taken place, but promised to investigate the complaint and punish the perpetrators if they were found to have committed torture.

The three police officers that were killed on 25 October 2005, died in a clash between the police and villagers in Dusun Salena, Kelurahan Buluri, Kota Palu, Central Sulawesi. The clash occurred when the police attempted to arrest Madi, the leader of a ‘deviant’ religious sect and his followers. Madi, who practices traditional self defense medicine, has been accused by the police for spreading heretical Islamic beliefs. Two high ranking officers from the Resort Police (Polresta) of Palu and one officer of the Police Intelligence Service (Intelkam) of the Central Sulawesi Provincial Police were killed in the clash, as was one civilian. The police and military then encircled the village, forcing the villagers to run away. They returned from hiding in the forest and surrendered to the police on October 27-28.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter to the authorities below demand an immediate and thorough investigation into this matter so that those responsible are brought to justice. Suitable compensation must also be given to the victims
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