Human rights commission supports war against hoodlums<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights has
\nthrown its weight behind the nationwide operation against street
\nhoodlums, saying that the campaign is well-intentioned and
\nproperly implemented.<\/p>\n
The commission's chairman, Ali Said, said at a press
\nconference yesterday that security officers had been conducting
\nthe operation in accordance with legal procedures.<\/p>\n
He said commission members had visited hoodlums in custody at
\nthe City Police Headquarters and the South Jakarta police
\nprecinct. They have also interviewed street vendors and shop
\nowners at the Blok M shopping center in South Jakarta, he said.<\/p>\n
"We have observed that there detainees have not been tortured
\nduring the operation and they have been treated well during the
\ninvestigations," Ali said.<\/p>\n
"Questioning of hoodlums is completed within a day," added the
\nretired lieutenant general and one-time justice minister and
\nchief justice.<\/p>\n
He said the commission had observed that the operation was
\nwidely supported, but particularly by street vendors, who are
\neasy prey for the dreaded thugs.<\/p>\n
Ali did not, however, deny that excesses were possible, even
\nlikely, in the conduct of the operation. "We can understand if
\nthere are excesses in the operation, but we would like to urge
\nthe authorities to minimize them," he said.<\/p>\n
The operation against hoodlums began after the murder of a
\npolice officer at Jakarta's Blok M shopping center last week. It
\nhas received support from the army and various other
\ninstitutions, including the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute.<\/p>\n
Ali said that in Jakarta the operation had detained 3,436
\nsuspected hoodlums as of Thursday. He said 3,182 of them had been
\nreleased due to the absence of evidence that they had broken the
\nlaw. The remaining 254 detainees are currently under
\ninvestigation at the City Police Headquarters.<\/p>\n
The rights commission's secretary-general, Baharuddin Lopa,
\nsaid he could accept the police's statement that the current
\ncampaign to wipe out street crime had not been prompted solely by
\nthe murder of the police officer.<\/p>\n
It is, rather, part of the long-time process of fighting
\nstreet violence, which has been a cause of public concern, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
"Chief of the City Police, Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo, told me
\nthat the operation against hoodlums was part of regular
\noperations against criminals," Lopa said, adding that the
\noperations included "Operation Cleansing" and the "Jaya
\nOperation" in Jakarta. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/human-rights-commission-supports-war-against-hoodlums-1447893297",
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