November 17, 2011
Jayapura. A former Papuan political prisoner claimed on Thursday that he and several others were assaulted and spat on by a senior police officer following last month’s crackdown on a pro-independence rally in the province.
Elieser Awom, one of the more than 300 people rounded up during the Third Papuan People’s Congress on Oct. 19, said that he and several others were beaten by police during the crackdown.
“They whacked me in the neck with a stick, behind the local military headquarters, not far from where the congress took place,” he said. “Then they ordered us to strip naked and frog-marched us to a van that took us to the provincial police headquarters.”
Even once in custody, the abuse did not stop, said Elieser, a police deserter who was convicted in 1990 of insurrection.
“At the police station, they kicked us and hit us with sticks. We were also spat on by Ridho Purba,” he said, referring to the Jayapura Police’s chief detective.
Elieser’s allegations corroborate findings presented earlier this month by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) of widespread rights abuses during the crackdown on the congress.
The commission also blamed the deaths of at least three of the congress participants on the excessive use of force by the security forces, but stopped short of specifically fingering the police or the military.
Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Wachyono said 30 officers would be investigated over the incident, but declined to say if Ridho was one of them.
(according to the JG)
do 17 nov 2011 - 20:52