Police told to uphold human rights in Poso

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) went to the National Police headquarters on Friday to remind the police force to uphold human rights principles in dealing with extremists in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

The commission, which conducted an investigation into the growing tensions in Poso, reported that it found indications of basic human rights violations in the way the police treated suspected terrorists, some of whom were shot dead during raids.

Speaking to reporters after a two-hour closed door meeting with National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo, Komnas HAM chairman Otto Nur Abdullah said that Komnas HAM had expected the police to coordinate with the rights body in counterterrorism efforts to prevent potential rights abuses.

“We don’t mean to interfere with the police. The police must independently carry out its policies. However, we must advise the police to respect and promote human rights values in all of its policies because we have found that violence has been committed by its personnel in Poso,” Otto said.

Contacted separately, Komnas HAM deputy chairwoman Sandrayati Moniaga called on the police to avoid using torture methods to retrieve information from terror suspects. “Although Indonesia has yet to ratify the international anti-torture convention, we must comply with the UN values as one of its state members, which objects to torture,” Sandrayati told The Jakarta Post.

The commission said that based on its investigation, the police might have breached existing procedures when they shot dead Poso terror suspect Khalid Tumbingo on Nov. 3, last year. The investigation also found that the police had tortured hundreds of demonstrators protesting the killing of Khalid.

Responding to Komnas HAM’s findings, National Police spokesperson Ins. Gen. Suhardi Alius said that the National Police had sent a team to Poso for further investigations. “We will continue to communicate with Komnas HAM for alleged human rights violations committed by our personnel,” he said.

(2013-01-19/jakartapost)