NGOs slam Brimob over abduction of Aceh students<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta\/Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
Six Acehnese students, mostly activists, have disappeared after
\nthey were taken by officers from the Police Mobile Brigade
\n(Brimob) from their homes three days ago.<\/p>\n
Many have speculated that they were picked due to their strong
\nopposition to the ongoing martial law and their alleged links
\nwith the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).<\/p>\n
Dita Indah Sari, an activist from Aceh-Papua Solidarity (SAP),
\nsaid in Jakarta on Tuesday that the five activists, three of them
\nwomen, were Harlina (22), Nova Rahayu (23), Nursida (22) from the
\nAcehnese Democratic Women's Organization (ORPAD) Iwan Irama Putra
\nfrom the Linge Students Network (IMPEL) and Syafruddin from the
\nStudent Solidarity for the People (SMUR).<\/p>\n
The remaining one was Masrizal, who is reportedly a member of
\nGAM's military wing. The six were students of Syahkuala
\nUniversity and Ar-Rainiry Islamic Teaching Institute (IAIN) in
\nthe Aceh capital of Banda Aceh.<\/p>\n
"Their whereabouts is unclear after police asserted that they
\nhad not detained any activists or students, whereas according to
\neyewitnesses, the six were taken by Brimob personnel from their
\nown homes in Banda Aceh," Dita said in a joint press conference
\nwith the National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of
\nViolence (Kontras), on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
"They just staged rallies demanding that the government lift
\nmartial law. The women activists had said that martial law and
\nthe military operation had brought suffering to the people,
\nespecially women, and had not restored security and order in the
\nresource-rich province," said Dita.<\/p>\n
Martial law imposed on May 19, 2003, to quell the separatist
\nmovement with a budget of Rp 1.3 trillion, was extended for
\nanother six months in December with an additional budget of Rp
\n1.4 trillion. So far, more than 2,000 people believed to be
\nrebels have been killed and more than 2,500 others have been
\narrested or "reeducated" to accept the unitary state of Indonesia
\n(NKRI).<\/p>\n
According to the eyewitnesses, Mazrizal and Iwan were taken
\naway on Feb. 19, and Feb. 22, 2004 respectively<\/p>\n
Several days later, the police picked up Harlina who was
\nbeaten before she was taken into a Kijang minivan. After Harlina,
\nSyarifuddin was also picked up by Brimob officers.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) in Aceh said that
\nthree activists had already been released, but refused to
\nidentify them.<\/p>\n
"We have been appointed to provide legal counsel for them.
\nThree of them have been released today, but three others are
\nstill missing. I can't say anything else, pending the release of
\nthe others," SAP Coordinator Afrida Darmi said.<\/p>\n
The London-based human rights group Amnesty International
\ncondemned the detainment of the six activists, saying that such
\narrests were believed to have been conducted "due to the peaceful
\nexpression of their political beliefs and their work in defense
\nhuman rights."<\/p>\n
"Grave human rights violations, including extrajudicial
\nexecutions of both adults and children" have been reported since
\nthe latest offensive was launched in May, 19, 2003, Amnesty said.<\/p>\n
"Anyone detained by the police and military in (Aceh) is at
\nrisk of torture, ill-treatment and other human rights
\nviolations," it said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The military says it has killed some 1,300 rebels and 2,000
\nGAM members or sympathizers have been arrested or have
\nsurrendered since then.<\/p>\n
In an unrelated development, hundreds of government soldiers
\nbesieged several villages in Simpang Ulim subdistrict, including
\nKuta Buloh village where RCTI TV station Fery Santoro and several
\nhostages are being detained.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ngos-slam-brimob-over-abduction-of-aceh-students-1447893297",
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