Rights team probes campus attack

Rights team probes campus attack

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar

A National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) team found
indications on Tuesdays of human rights violations in an incident
in which dozens of police officers stormed the Indonesian Muslim
University (UMI) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, early this month.

"Preliminary evidence shows strong indications of human rights
violations in the incident," said M.M. Billah, a member of the
fact-finding team.

However, he could not give details on the preliminary findings
as the team was still investigating the brutal May 1 attack,
which injured 65 students including two who sustained gunshot
wounds.

Billah and another team member Hasballah M. Saad arrived in
Makassar on Tuesday for the four-day fact-finding mission.

Hours after their arrival, the two met UMI leaders and the
student advocacy team for the incident as part of their probe.

Billah said further incriminating evidence of gross violations
was the possibility that the attack was funded by state funds.

He said the attack could also be categorized a serious case of
human rights violations if it caused a great number of human
deaths.

"In the UMI incident as many as 65 people were hurt, but it
still needs to be verified whether it already meets the
conditions," Billah added.

He said the team was gathering evidence to determine whether
the campus attack could be categorized as involving serious human
rights abuse.

"That's why we need supporting evidence in the form of
statements from eye witnesses and victims," Billah told
journalists.

During the meeting with Billah and Hasballah, UMI students and
their advocacy team provided the two with evidence such as bullet
shells, the blood-soaked shirts of victims, their names and
photos of the incident.

The students urged Komnas HAM to ensure that the perpetrators
be tried in an ad hoc human rights court over the incident.

According to them, the decision of National Police chief Gen.
Da'i Bachtiar to fire South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen.
Jusuf Manggabarani and three other top officers over the brutal
attack was still not adequate.

However, Billah said the dismissals should be responded to
positively and stressed that the attackers should be tried in a
civilian court.

During their visit, the fact-finding team will also question
police officers involved in the attack, in which they beat dozens
of students with their bare hands and guns and kicked them.

The attack was launched after students, who were protesting
the rearrest of terror suspect Abu Bakar Ba'asyir in Jakarta,
took a policeman hostage.

South Sulawesi Police has named at least 22 officers as
suspects in the incident but only 10 will stand trial in a
civilian court on charges of violating Articles 351 and 170 the
Criminal Code.

On Monday, the Makassar Police disciplinary committee removed
three high-ranking officers in South Sulawesi from their posts
for their roles in the attack, and ordered that they be detained
for 12 days to 17 days.

Earlier last week, the same committee also ordered the
detention of 12 other low-ranking police officers over the
incident.