Komnas HAM Receives Report on 70 Missing People Following Riot

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chairman of the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Taufan Damanik, said that the Commission had received reports about missing people following the May 22 riot.

"[We got reports] this morning that 70 people went missing," said Taufan via a short message on Tuesday, May 28, 2019.

Taufan explained that a member of the legal team representing victims of the riot Ismar Syafrudin, submitted the report on Tuesday morning to the Commission. "They gave us data, and we will try to examine it," he added.

He later called on the public whose family members went missing after the May 22 riot to file a report to the Police or Komnas HAM. "We have a team to help," Taufan stated.

Earlier, several residents of Kampung Bali, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta visited the Jakarta Metro Police headquarter looking for their missing relatives after the riot had occurred. They said to have received information that the missing people were arrested by the police.

One of them was the family of Arya, also known as Iyo, an online motorcycle driver who lived in Kampung Bali. "No one knows [this case]. I was like being ridiculed. I visited the General Crime Directorate [Dirkrimum] and was told to go to the Detention and Evidence Directorate [Tahti], but I kept being told to go other places and they said nothing," said Iyo's relative on Saturday, May 25, 2019.

Dozens of police mobile brigade (Brimob) members searched through Kampung Bali and Kebon Kacang area to identify people alleged for provocation and perpetrators of the riot in front of the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) on Jalan M.H. Thamrin.

A number of residents said one of the people nabbed by the police was Iyo who was resting in a hut on Jalan Kampung Bali XVII.

The local neighborhood leader Winda Devianti, confirmed that her residents were arrested by the police, saying she directly witnessed the arrest and beating against Iyo. "When he was brought by the police, Iyo’s face was covered with blood," Winda said while mentioning another man named Ando.

The police previously released ten names who were alleged for acting as provocateurs and perpetrators of the riot from Kampung Bali. Four of them were reportedly arrested, and beaten in front of the Al Huda Mosque. They were identified as Andre, also known as Andri Bibir; Markus; Lubis; and Jurianto. However, the police claimed to have strong evidence to arrest the suspects.

ADAM PRIREZA