Organization Demand Police to Apologize for Statement on Bandung Bomb Attack

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Alliance of Criminal Code Reform demanded National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo to apologize for his statement regarding the suicide bomber in Bandung, West Java, who brought papers rejecting the newly-passed revision of the Indonesian Criminal Code. The alliance considered that Listyo's statement had violated international standards of the investigative process.

"We regret the statements made by the National Police Chief," said the Alliance in a statement, Friday, December 9, 2022.

After the suicide bombing incident at the Astana Anyar Police Station on Wednesday morning, December 7, 2022, Listyo Sigit said the bomber Agus Sujatno brought dozens of pieces of paper showing his objection to the revised law passed by the Parliament the day before.

Listyo also said the perpetrator was affiliated with the Bandung Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) or West Java JAD group.

According to the Alliance, Listyo's statement cornered two groups that may not have had anything to do with the bomb attack. They are members of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah and civil society groups that rejected the bill ratification by peaceful means.

Listyo's statement is considered to conflict with international principles regarding investigations. For example, the Practical Manual for Law Enforcement Officials on Human Rights in Counter-Terrorism Investigations prepared by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Unlawful Deaths of the United Nations.

With this incident, the Alliance is increasingly worried that the new criminal code will provide more space and be vulnerable to being misused by law enforcement officials. The Alliance also asked Listyo to review the investigation and its procedures that are in line with international standards.

Responding to the Alliance's insistence, the National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said that everything Listyo stated included facts found by the Densus (counterterrorism squad) investigators and the West Java Regional Police. Among them is the involvement of the perpetrator in the suicide bombing incident at the Cicendo Police, Bandung.

"The perpetrator is a former terror convict in the cooking pot bomb case at Cicendo in 2017 and is affiliated with the JAD group," said Dedi.

FAJAR PEBRIANTO

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