Police arrest, beat students protesting general elections<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Central Jakarta police arrested 54 protesting students, six of
\nthem girls, just as they were dispersing after staging an anti-
\nelection rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central
\nJakarta on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The students, members of the Jaringan Kota (Jarkot) or City
\nNetwork, were being interrogated late into Tuesday night and the
\npolice denied them their right to have a lawyer present.<\/p>\n
\"We hired a lawyer to accompany our friends but a police
\nofficer, who claimed to be the chief detective of the precinct,
\nsaid the lawyer had no 'attestation letter' from the arrested
\nstudents,\" the network spokesman, Ukay, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"Police claimed that the interrogation was still going on. We
\nwant them to release our friends.\"<\/p>\n
A student said the police accused them of being in possession
\nof weapons -- specifically machetes.<\/p>\n
\"We only have our bamboo poles to hold our organizations'
\nflags,\" Ukay said, adding that they kept the tips of the bamboo
\npoles blunt so they could not be mistaken for spears.<\/p>\n
The students started the protest outside the House of
\nRepresentatives compound on Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto, Central
\nJakarta, and moved to the traffic circle to distribute pamphlets
\nto motorists.<\/p>\n
The students suggested that the public not exercise their
\nright to vote in the upcoming general election \"as none of the
\npossible candidates nor the system of the elections could be
\ntrusted\".<\/p>\n
They were about to disperse at around 5 p.m. when a policeman
\napproached the minibuses they hired and ordered them to leave.
\nThe policeman later took the keys of the front minibus. As the
\nstudents protested, the policeman called for backup.<\/p>\n
About 100 riot police came and started to beat the students.<\/p>\n
The Law prohibits the use of force to make others vote or not
\nvote. However, many activists understand the article differently
\nas they considered it open to interpretation.<\/p>\n
Central Jakarta police chief Sr. Comr. Sukrawardi Dahlan could
\nnot be reached for comment as of 11 p.m. Tuesday night.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-arrest-beat-students-protesting-general-elections-1447893297",
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