Cocktail Bombs Thrown at Medan Legal Aid Office
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21 October 2019 11:04 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Cocktail bombs were thrown at the roof of Medan's Legal Aid Office on Saturday, October 19. The incident was suspected to be linked to a series of terror launched against law activists in the capital city of North Sumatra Province.
Medan Legal Aid director Ismail Lubis said that before the bombs were thrown, lawyers at their office had been receiving threats in the form of repetitive calls from unknown numbers.
"Some got calls from foreign numbers repeatedly," Ismail said, Saturday.
The security camera recorded footages of two men throwing the bombs on Saturday at around 02:33. The Molotov cocktails were thrown to the roof of the building, causing a fire that was quickly put out by the office staff, with help from nearby residents.
The CCTV footage showed two men riding a motorcycle without helmets as the bomb throwers.
Ismail suspects that the terror is related to the recent activities of LBH Medan. Their office has often been used as a place for students to gather and discuss about a movement rejecting the KPK Law revision.
Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation's board administrator, Arip Yogiawan, said that the incident added to the long line of threats and terror against human rights defenders. "Most cases of terror are rarely revealed," he said.
YLBHI also asked the government to provide better protection to human rights activists and practitioners, as they are often targeted for attacks and assaults.
AJI NUGROHO | ANDITA RAHMA | AGUNG SEDAYU