Al-Ghozi autopsy does not prove malfeasance

Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Philippine authorities have treated the body of terrorist suspect and fugitive Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi in such a way that it is impossible for anyone to determine the cause of his death, a forensic doctor says.

Munim Idris, a forensic expert from the state-owned University of Indonesia (UI), shared on Tuesday the results of the autopsy he performed on Al-Ghozi last week, following the suspicions of his family that he was murdered by the Philippine security force.

Munim said the deceased had been shot three times, twice in his chest and once in his left hand. He also suspected that there had been an attempt to erase evidence from the body.

Philippine authorities have said that Al-Ghozi was killed during a shoot-out with military personnel in the Southern Philippines.

"I could not determine the time of death because the body was preserved with embalming fluid," he said, adding that the fluid absolutely ruined the autopsy.

However, he managed to determine that Al-Ghozi was killed around two hours after taking a meal.

Similarly, he could not determine the angle of the bullet's penetration nor the shooting range because the gunshot wounds had been stitched up and he found no trace of gunpowder.

He found it odd that the gunshot wounds were sewn so carefully.

"If you just want to close the wounds for burial you don't need such complex work. One would simply stitch them," he said.

Mahendradatta, a member of the Muslim Lawyer Team (TPM), told reporters that the stitches at the point of entry of the gunshot wounds could indicate that some kind of an autopsy had already been done.

"However, in Al-Ghozi's certificate of death, issued by the Philippines, there is no statement that anyone has conducted an autopsy," said the lawyer.

He said that he would urge the government to investigate the case and take it over from the Philippines.

"Despite the fact that he was a convict, an Indonesian citizen has died unnaturally abroad. What is the government's response?" he demanded.

The official account from the Philippine authorities states that Al-Ghozi was killed on Oct. 12 in a shoot-out during a raid launched by security forces near the town of Pigkawayan, North Cotabato province, in the Southern Philippines.

Al-Ghozi, said to be one of the Jamaah Islamiyah's top operatives, was sentenced to 17 years in jail in Manila last year for illegal possession of explosives. He had escaped from prison in June and was on the run before he was killed.

The body of Al-Ghozi arrived in Surabaya, East Java, on the night of Oct. 17, and was immediately transported to Mojorejo subdistrict in Madiun for burial.

However, the burial which had been planned for the next morning was delayed after Al-Ghozi's family consulted with members of TPM, who considered that an autopsy was needed to determine the cause of Al-Ghozi's death.