Rights commission yet to receive complaint on Tjetje

Rights commission yet to receive complaint on Tjetje

JAKARTA (JP): The relatives of Tjetje Tadjudin, the robbery
suspect who died while in Bogor police custody, have not yet
sought help from the National Commission on Human Rights, Marzuki
Darusman, the commission's vice chairman, said yesterday.

A representative of Tjetje's family had said they would submit
a formal request for help from the commission over his 'strange'
death.

Marzuki said it was "in the interest of the Armed Forces
(ABRI)" to clear up all rumors, and doubts about whether an ABRI
officer was involved. Investigations "must be free of outside
influences or pressures."

He was referring to an earlier statement by Armed Forces Chief
Gen. Feisal Tanjung, who said no Armed Forces members were
involved.

Marzuki said he hoped investigations would not be influenced
by the "hasty" statement on ABRI's position while investigations
were still underway.

Openness on ABRI's part would lead to a positive image, he
said.

Tjetje's case reinforces the public impression that suspects
are in a weak position even though they have the right to a fair
trial, and the right to be free from physical abuse, Marzuki
said.

"People are increasingly worried about having to deal with
police," he said.

Marzuki stressed the need for clarity in interrogation
procedures, referring to suspicions that Tjetje was taken from
the police to be interrogated by another party.

"The 'borrowing' and transfer of a suspect is a questionable
practice," Marzuki said. "It might lead to serious violations of
human rights."

Clarity on such practices would eliminate the unnecessary
possibility of shifting responsibility between different Armed
Forces' departments, he said.

Naturally, the police would be to blame if anything happened
to the suspect, he said.

Besides legal uncertainties, Marzuki said a lack of clarity on
this matter was resulting in a suspect's safety not being
guaranteed.

The rights body has often found cases of people being arrested
without procedures being followed, he said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Amir Syamsuddin expressed concern and
surprise over the "primitive" actions involved in the death of
Tjetje, referring to alleged interrogation by a third party.

Interrogation by a third party of a police suspect is possible
if the suspect is an officer of another Armed Forces' department,
he said.

"But there should be records of such a transfer," Amir said.
Although he was not sure of the specific rules on the matter he
said, "any case of investigation by another party must be based
on the criminal code".

Regarding torture, Amir said it was far from necessary in what
seems an ordinary robbery.

"Scientific procedures have significantly replaced torture in
investigations," he said.

If proven, the torture raises questions about what
interrogators were trying to prove. "Something is missing here,"
he said.

In a climate heading towards more openness, both Amir and
Marzuki separately said the public would continue to question any
sign of concealed investigations. (anr)