Lt. Gen. Dibyo rules out death by torture
JAKARTA (JP): Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo denied claims yesterday that torture caused last week's death in custody of an East Java Moslem.
Dibyo told the House of Representatives that Ahmad Sidik, a member of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem group, died of complications resulting from intestinal inflammation and cerebral infection.
"The medical report came from the Situbondo General Hospital," Dibyo told House Commission I overseeing defense and security affairs.
The police chief's statement came only a day after Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman promised an impartial investigation into Ahmad's death.
News of the death of the 24-year-old man was first reported to the media by NU chief Abdurrahman Wahid, who sent Monday a petition to military headquarters, asking Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung to look into the matter.
Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, said Ahmad died on Dec. 6 after being questioned at the Situbondo military and police offices, over his role in the Oct. 10 religious riot in the town.
NU activists in East Java said Ahmad died of injuries inflicted on him while he was in custody. They suspect he was tortured during the interrogations.
Gus Dur also claimed that another two of the riot's alleged instigators were also seriously ill after being questioned at the local security headquarters.
Asked why Ahmad was not autopsied, Dibyo said the deceased's relatives objected to having the body operated on.
Chief of the Brawijaya Regional Military Command, which oversees security in East, Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, earlier denied allegations that Ahmad was tortured.
"There were no reports of physical torture during Ahmad's questioning. You should not provoke the people's anger," Imam said in Surabaya Tuesday evening.
According to Imam, who quoted reports from the same hospital (Situbondo General Hospital), Ahmad had liver problems "long before he was questioned."
Mistreatment
He said several Moslem preachers who were with Ahmad during the questioning, could testify that the suspect had not been mistreated.
"His wife told us Ahmad had long had ulcer," Imam said.
Ahmad was one of 54 rioters arrested for allegedly instigating the riot in the predominantly Moslem Situbondo, well known for its reputable Islamic boarding schools.
The riots were sparked by Situbondo Moslems' anger over a five-year jail term requested by the prosecution for Saleh, a Moslem sect member standing trial on charges of blasphemy against Islam. They considered the jail term too lenient.
Unable to grab Saleh from the police guard, intending killing him, the angry mob then vented their anger on buildings and vehicles along the city streets. Twenty one churches, five Catholic elementary schools, one Christian orphanage, two plazas, a court building, three cars and five motorcycles were set ablaze or attacked during the riots.
Separately, activists of the East Java chapter of the Indonesian Young Christian Movement voiced their worries that Ahmad's death would spark yet another riot if not properly handled.
They regretted Ahmad's death in custody and called for an objective investigation.
"The news is shocking because it comes at a time when people were beginning to recover from the bitter memory of the Oct. 10 riot," they said. (imn/amd/25)