Four agrarian activists file lawsuit against City Police

Four agrarian activists file lawsuit against City Police

JAKARTA (JP): Four agrarian activists who returned home after
going missing for 12 days filed a suit against the Jakarta Police
on Wednesday, claiming the police issued misleading statements
about their abduction.

The lawsuit was filed with the South Jakarta District Court by
the activists' legal representatives from the Jakarta office of
the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI), the
Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras)
and the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI).

"The police have been issuing statements which harm our
clients," YLBHI's Johnson Panjaitan said in a media conference.

Johnson denied the police's claim that the four Agrarian
Reform Consortium (KPA) activists got into an ambulance of the
their own free will on Aug. 14 at the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR).

"We have three witnesses who say our clients were shoved
forcefully (into the ambulance) by more than 20 Mobile Brigade
personnel led by Supt. Setyanto," he said.

"Also, our clients did not ask to be dropped off in front of
the KPU (General Elections Committee) building. They were told to
get out of the ambulance there," he added.

Police earlier said the four were taken to a hospital due to
their weak condition after staging a hunger strike during the
Assembly's 12-day Annual Session.

"The arrest of our clients was unlawful since the police did
not have a warrant," Johnson said.

He said the police's statement saying they doubted the four
activists had been kidnapped had hindered the activists' efforts
to recover from the ordeal.

"We don't want to create a polemic in the media about the
truth of our clients' statements, so we are handing the matter
over to the courts to find out which party is telling the truth,"
he said.

The activists are demanding the city police pay Rp 900,000
(US$105) compensation for medical expenses, including for
psychiatric consultations.

The lawsuit also demands that the police rehabilitate the
activists' names by running commercials apologizing to them on
five television stations and 10 radio stations, and placing ads
in four newspapers distributed nationwide, 10 Jakarta newspapers,
six magazines and six tabloids.

Head of the National Police information department Sr. Supt.
Saleh Saaf said on Monday that the alleged kidnappings were a
dagelan (comedy).

The activists' lawyers insist the National Police, not the
Jakarta Police, should conduct an investigation into the alleged
abduction.

"The Jakarta Police are part of this (alleged kidnapping),"
Johnson said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Jakarta Police spokesman Supt. M. Nur H.
Usman said the police would force the activists, namely Anton
Sulton, 26, Idham Kurniawan, 24, Usep Setiawan, 28, and Muh.
Hafiz Asdam, 23, to appear for questioning after they failed to
honor two summonses to appear at police headquarters.

Separately, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dadang
Garnida said he was ready to act as mediator in the dispute
between KPA and the Jakarta Police. (jaw)