14 policemen arrested for killing suspect
Oktovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon, Maluku
Fourteen policemen have been arrested for allegedly beating a suspected thief to death earlier this month in the Maluku capital of Ambon, police officers said on Friday.
The 14 policemen have been charged with beating to death Syaiful Ibrahim, 17, who was arrested on Nov. 4 for stealing Rp 6 million (US$705) in cash and 57 grams of gold from a jewelry store in the Batu Merah market in Ambon.
Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Bambang Sutrisno said the 14 suspects from the Ambon district police station were being held at the Maluku Police Headquarters for questioning.
"All (the suspects) are currently being questioned to establish whether any professional violations took place. Every suspect should be protected, so why did he (Syaiful) die?" he said.
Bambang said three civilians were also arrested in connection with the death of Syaiful, who was allegedly beaten to death at the local police station.
If found guilty, the 14 policemen could be dishonorably discharged, Bambang said.
The 14 suspects include one senior officer and three members of the elite Mobile Brigade. The names of the suspects were not released.
Syaiful, a refugee from Batu Merah district, had been reported to the police by the Wella family a day after they were robbed of cash and gold.
Syaiful was accused of stealing Rp 6 million and 57 grams of gold. Hours after the complaint was filed, police arrested Syaiful. However, the suspect fled as police transported him to the Batu Merah market to be confronted by his accusers.
Local residents who joined the hunt for Syaiful said the police recaptured the suspect soon afterward and took him back to the station, where they allegedly beat him.
Sometime later the unconscious body of Syaiful was found in a stall at the market by local residents, who rushed the victim to the Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Tantui. Syaiful was then transferred to Dr. Haulussy General Hospital, which is better equipped to handle critical cases. Syaiful died on Nov. 6 from his injuries.
His death sparked violence after someone claimed that Syaiful was beaten to death by local residents, not police officers.
A crowd angered by the charge set ablaze a kiosk belonging to the person who made this accusation, Antara reported.
There have been allegations in the past that the police torture and beat suspects.
In February 2003, the police chief of a district on Rote island off West Timor was fired for burning a suspected motorcycle thief to death.
The suspect was doused with gasoline to frighten him into confessing but the fuel was accidentally ignited, according to a police spokesman at the time. It is not clear if the police chief was ever charged with a crime.
In another case, Pujianto, 38, died on Oct. 7, 2003, of severe injuries allegedly caused by a police beating.
A neighbor of the deceased said Pujianto was beaten by three drunken policemen at about 1 a.m. on Sept. 30 in the Puri Depok Mas housing complex on Jl. Raya Sawangan in Depok.
The policemen reportedly became enraged after Pujianto hit one their cars with his hand.