Repressive political, security policies imposed in Abepura

JAKARTA (JP): Repressive political and security policies continued to be imposed in Irian Jaya province, as indicated by the use of violence in handling last December's public disorder, a human right commission stated on Tuesday.

The Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations in Papua (KPP HAM Papua) said that police had killed one person, beat two people in custody to death and seriously injured 33 others during clashes in Abepura, Irian Jaya, following the attack on a police station by an unidentified group of people.

The Commission's preliminary findings were based on a two- month investigation of no less than 74 witnesses and 35 police officers.

The Commission's chairman Albert Hasibuan said that there had been excessive use of violence by Jayapura Police and Mobile Brigade officers during raids on student dormitories.

"The students were tortured and harassed. One student was even paralyzed as a result," Albert said.

All of the victims who were arrested by police, he added, suffered from depression and trauma due to physical torture and racist comments.

According to the report, the arrested students were taken away in police trucks to a place where police stamped on their heads and hit them with guns if they tried to get up.

The attack and arrests at the dormitories followed the incident that occurred in Abepura district last December, in which a police station was attacked by an unidentified group of people.

It claimed the lives of two policemen, a civilian security guard and three local people.

Albert said that there was no strong evidence that the attack on the police station was carried out by students.

"Evidence gathered by Jayapura police, including spears and arrows, was found days after the incident. It was nowhere near the student dormitories," he said.

The report also accused police of intimidating witnesses and denying the torture and arrest in the media.

According to Albert, the then Irian Jaya police chief Brig. Gen. Sylvanus Wenas could be held responsible.

"Given his position, and based on police culture that there is no way an officer would do something without his superior's command, he should be held responsible," he said.

Sylvanus, he added, will be questioned in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The inquiry, Albert said, is slated to be completed by early May and will be filed as the first case to be tried by a rights tribunal in the country.

The trial will be held in Makassar, South Sulawesi. (hdn)