Hoodlums' relatives will sue police over shooting

JAKARTA (JP): Relatives of two alleged hoodlums gunned down by police officers have decided to file lawsuits against the Jakarta Police for shooting suspects without due procedure, their lawyer said on Thursday.

Lawyer Daniel Panjaitan of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute said relatives of dead suspects Eko Opianto, 24 and Muhamad Samson, 16, have visited the institute to seek legal advice.

"Besides filing the lawsuits, the relatives would also ask for compensation," Daniel said.

Since the institute is still preparing the lawsuits, the amount of compensation has not yet been decided, he said.

According to Daniel, Eko was beaten and shot dead at the Pulogadung police subprecinct office in East Jakarta on Jan. 9, while Samson was gunned down on Feb. 12 after reportedly attempting to pull off the side mirrors of a car in the Pecenongan area, Central Jakarta.

He said Eko's relatives were at first not allowed by the Pulogadung officers to meet with the suspect a few days after his arrest. The officers claimed that Eko was not detained at that police station.

But the relatives insisted on seeing the cell first to prove that Eko was not there. They then forced their way inside the station and subsequently found Eko's corpse in the backyard, Daniel said.

In the case of Samson, the suspect's relatives also believed that the police had fired their guns without legitimate reasons, the lawyer added.

Based on their findings, the relatives of the two therefore visited Daniel's office and asked the institute to help process the lawsuits for them.

According to Daniel, his institute would first ask police to give their version of the cases.

"So far, we haven't been able to fully understand why they should shoot suspected criminals if the latter did not resist arrest or endanger the officers' life," he explained.

"Moreover, these men had no criminal records," Daniel added.

As of Thursday, the city police have gunned down 14 suspected street criminals, including those believed to be notorious hoodlums.

According to Daniel, his institute has learned that the police raids against hoodlums in the greater Jakarta area have been conducted illegally.

He cited for example the grim scenario of two alleged hoodlums, identified as Maruli Tamba and Rojani Erik Sontri, who were shot dead by police officers at the Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta on Feb. 11.

Daniel quoted several witnesses as saying that the two men were arrested while drinking tea at a food stall in the terminal. They were then dragged away and beaten in the terminal's toilet, he said.

The two men were finally shot dead after being told to run, the lawyer said.

"The witnesses are still shocked by the incident," he added.

When asked to comment on the accusation, which could tarnish the police image, City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis insisted that all shootings carried out by the officers had followed strict procedures.

All the suspected culprits, he said, were gunned down when trying to resist arrest, or attack the officers.

"But their relatives are free to report the police officers to their superiors for alleged misconduct.

We also welcome it if they want to sue the police. It's good to find out the truth," Lubis added. (jun)