Brigadier J Case; Police Chief Urged to Investigate Other Police Violence Cases

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amnesty International expressed respect to National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo for revealing the murder case of Brigadier J alias Nopryansah Yosua Hutabarat. Deputy Director of Amnesty Indonesia, Wirya Adiwena, said the case should be a momentum for the police to strengthen its accountability in investigating violence cases committed by its members.

Wirya opined that efforts to cover up this case at the onset of the investigation proved that the police’s accountability is still far from ideal.

“We respect [the police] for the transparency and the effort to reveal what truly happened. But, what must be asked is how the information initially given by the police could be so far from the facts and even made Inspector General Ferdy Sambo a victim,” said Wirya in a written statement on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.

Brigadier J's case is only the tip of the iceberg, he argued. Amnesty International recorded that during 2018-2022, there were 38 cases of unlawful killings in Papua allegedly committed by the police or the army with a total of 60 deaths.

“Only very few of these cases are open to the public, and only a few of them have taken to courts,” Wirya said.

Therefore, Amnesty International asked the Police Chief to conduct a thorough evaluation of his personnel to find the root cause of the obfuscation of facts in Brigadier J’s death. “And take systematic measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring,” Wirya underlined.

The National Police Chief is also urged to review violence cases involving police members and ensure that these cases are resolved in a transparent and accountable manner. 

Amnesty International further urged the DPR to hold the National Police accountable in cases of violence by other police officers.

“Perpetrators of violence, whether police members or not, must be brought to justice in a trial that meets international standards of fair trial and does not end with the application of the death penalty,” said Wirya.

EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA

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