Never pass judgment without evidence

Never pass judgment without evidence

The Dec. 28 shooting of Else Bonay Rumbiak, the wife of the director of the Human Rights Advocacy Study Institute (Elsham), Johanis Rumbiak, by an unknown gunman in Papua has given rise to rumors about the perpetrators, and recent accusations of the security/military personnel's involvement.

There should be no prejudice or allegations made against the Indonesian Military (TNI) simply because the victim received help from the security apparatus. The series of shootings that have claimed the lives of civilians, such as PT Freeport's employees some months ago and the recent case of Johanis Rumbiak's wife, should receive a balanced reaction and be left up to the authorities to reveal those responsible.

One should be wise when responding to the incident involving the Elsham-Papua activist and avoid passing judgment without any solid evidence. These shootings may have involved the Free Papua Movement (OPM), which has been trying to discredit the nation's security/military forces. OPM's maneuvers seek to create a negative opinion against the armed personnel assigned to the border region in the hopes of winning international pressure on the Indonesian government to withdraw its forces from Papua.

BENNY TAPILATU, Jakarta