Student suing ABRI chiefs over abuse<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A female student of Indonesian Christian
\nUniversity (UKI) has announced that she will sue the Jakarta
\nMilitary commander, the Army chief of staff and the Armed Forces
\ncommander for alleged physical abuse at the hands of soldiers.<\/p>\n
Verayanti Hitipiu, 23, who is undergoing medical treatment for
\na fractured skull, lodged a complaint with the National
\nCommission on Human Rights on Thursday.<\/p>\n
During the visit, Verayanti was accompanied by her father
\nFrans Hitipiu, 61, a nurse, a doctor and dozens of fellow
\nstudents from the City Forum (Forkot) student group.<\/p>\n
\"We will sue three top officials as they are responsible for
\nthe abuse of my daughter,\" Frans said.<\/p>\n
He told two commission members -- Soegiri and M. Salim -- that
\nhe had reported the case to the city police and the city military
\npolice, but received no satisfactory response.<\/p>\n
\"We ask for the commission's assistance to help force the
\nmilitary police to investigate the case,\" Frans said,<\/p>\n
Verayanti, who arrived at the commission's office in an
\nambulance, had been advised by her doctor not to make a
\nstatement.<\/p>\n
Frans said Verayanti, a law student, and her friends were on
\ntheir way by bus to the campus in Cawang, East Jakarta, at 8 p.m.
\nafter joining an antigovernment demonstration in front of the
\nHouse of Representatives compound on Dec. 17, last year, when a
\nnumber of soldiers shot one of the bus' tires.<\/p>\n
He claimed that the soldiers then rushed onto the bus, beat
\nthe students, including Verayanti, with their guns.<\/p>\n
At least 21 students were injured, including Verayanti who was
\nseverely wounded in her head. She underwent surgery at UKI
\nhospital that night, where she is still being treated.<\/p>\n
Verayanti's lawyers from the Student Movement Lawyers Team
\nproduced several bullets believed to have been fired at the bus,
\nand pictures of the incident.<\/p>\n
Commission member Soegiri said the commission would urge the
\nJakarta military police to investigate the case.<\/p>\n
\"You did the right thing by reporting the case to the military
\npolice. We will support your action,\" he said.<\/p>\n
During the visit, another UKI student, Hendi Karo-Karo,
\ncomplained to the commission about his alleged wrongful arrest
\nfor suspected involvement in the kidnapping of a police officer.<\/p>\n
\"I was arrested as if I were a criminal. I was released the
\nfollowing morning as the officers did not have any evidence
\nsuggesting that I was involved in the kidnapping. How could the
\npolice do such a thing?\" Hendi said.<\/p>\n
Hendi and his brother, Edward Karo-Karo who is also a student
\nat the university, were arrested at their home in Cawang, East
\nJakarta, on Dec. 8.<\/p>\n
The police also arrested UKI student Rudi Pahala Simatupang in
\nhis house in Ciganjur, South Jakarta, at the same time. Edward is
\nstill in custody at city police headquarters.<\/p>\n
The South Jakarta District Court released Rudi on Jan. 22,
\nruling that the police wrongly arrested him.<\/p>\n
The court also ordered city police to pay Rudi Rp 1 million
\n(US$111) in compensation.<\/p>\n
Rudi's relatives also visited the commission on Thursday to
\ncomplain that the police have yet to pay the compensation. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/student-suing-abri-chiefs-over-abuse-1447893297",
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