Lt. Gen. Dibyo rules out death by torture

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)