JAYAPURA, SUARAPAPUA.com — “We deeply regret the shootings action done without going through confirmation procedures in advance, resulting in deaths of the civilian. The action was very careless and immeasurable. The cycle of violence that occurred in Papua must be immediately terminated. We urge to transparent and accountable law enforcement,” said Usman Hamid.
This was confirmed by Amnesty International Indonesia’s Executive Director, Usman Hamid in response to the shooting of two residents in Timika, Papua, on April 13th.
Hamid asserted that the perpetrators of the shootings must be tried in general courts, not only internal mechanisms and military courts.
“Because it is not a disciplinary violation, but is a criminal offense and a violation of human rights. If only an internal mechanism, this is contrary to Indonesia’s international obligations regarding human rights, especially the right to life,” he said.
He requested that the competent authorities must conduct a thorough, independent, effective investigation and provide reparations that included rehabilitation, restitution, compensation, and guarantees of non-recurrence of the shooting to the families of the victims.
“The results of the investigation must also be published and given to the families of the victims and the general public,” he said.
According to him, Amnesty International believes that there are a direct connection and causality between impunity and continuing shootings that lead to extrajudicial murder.
“Any failure to investigate or bring those responsible to the court, strengthening the belief that the perpetrators of violence and human rights violations in Papua indeed stand above the law,” he explained.
Background
On Monday, April 13th, 2020, the incident of the shooting occurred in the area Mile 34 Kwamki Narama District, Timika Papua. This incident killed two Papuans male, Ronny Wandik (21) and Eden Armando Debari (19).
Based on the chronology compiled from the victims’ families, the two victims went to catch fish in Kali Biru with fishing equipment (diving glass and a fish shooting rifle). They are in Kali Biru until 2.00 pm. Soon afterward several members of the TNI Law Enforcement Task Force (Satgas Gakkum) approached them. Without asking or checking in advance, the TNI member immediately fired the shot toward the victim, took off all the victim’s clothes, and resulted in both victims killed on the spot.
Members of the TNI Gakkum Task Force allegedly shot both victims because they assumed that they were members of an armed separatist criminal group who wanted to attack PT. Freeport Indonesia in Timika. In addition to the lack of evidence presented by the security forces, the representative of the victim’s family, Kris Ohee, explained that the two victims were not members of the armed separatist criminal group and they had often been fishing around the river and that place
When meeting the families of the victims of the shooting in the morgue of Mimika Hospital, the Papua Regional Police Chief (Kapolda), Inspector General Police Paulus Waterpauw, acknowledged that the security situation and conditions in the Mimika region were less conducive due to a group of armed men who carried out massive acts of violence against TNI-Polri officers, and employees of PT. Freeport Indonesia. So, according to the Kapolda, several task forces were placed in the Mimika area, including the mining area of PT. Freeport Indonesia as one of the national vital objects. Kapolda also argued that such an open situation made it difficult to distinguish members of armed criminal groups from ordinary citizens.
On this incident, the Cenderawasih Military Commander XVII, Major General Herman Asaribab, promised to form an investigation team to investigate the cause of death of the two victims at Mile 34 completely.
In 2018, Amnesty International Indonesia published a report entitled “Finally, leave him dead!” which recorded 69 cases of suspected unlawful murder by security forces in Papua between January 2010 and February 2018, consuming 95 casualties. The alleged perpetrators came from the police in thirty-four cases, while from the military twenty-three cases, and in eleven cases the two security forces were allegedly involved together. Beside it, one additional case also involved the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP), an institution under the local government tasked with enforcing regional regulations. Most of the victims, 85 of them, are Papuan Indigenous people.
Author: Arnold Belau
Translator: Imelda Kopeuw
