House to bring Densus 88 to heel over human rights abuses

Following allegations of human rights violations, the House of Representatives announced plans on Friday to strengthen supervision over counterterrorism operations carried out by the National Police’s Densus 88 antiterrorism squad.

House Commission III overseeing security and legal affairs is slated to form a working committee specifically for the supervision of the squad, which was set up with US funding and assistance after the deadly 2002 Bali bombing.

“The working committee is to accommodate critics and input from the public, particularly over claims of abuses and violations. We will demand ongoing counterterrorism measures to be con- ducted in a transparent and accountable way,” said Commission III deputy chairman Almuzzammil Yusuf.

Almuzzammil said Commission III had long supported the counterterrorism measures coordinated and initiated by the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and the National Police. However, recent events had forced the House to take stern measures over Densus 88’s compliance toward the presumption of innocence, the Constitution and human rights.

“We do not expect operations carried out by Densus 88 to be counterproductive, and ignite public anger,” said Almuzzammil.

Densus 88 operations are based on input and direction from both the BNPT and the National Police.

However, Commission III found that both the BNPT and the National Police had failed to conduct stringent oversight and performance audits of the antiterrorism squad’s operations.

According to Yayasan Prasasti Perdamaian (YPP), a foundation that facilitates rehabilitation efforts for former suspected terrorists or terrorist convicts, 33 people have allegedly been wrongfully arrested by Densus 88 since 2010.

Victims of wrongful arrest or police questioning have not received any rehabilitation or compensation after their release, even though some had allegedly been tortured and denied legal representation during their interrogations.

Apart from the trauma, the stigma of being taken in for questioning in relation to terrorism often sticks.

Since the Bali bombings claimed 202 lives in 2002, the authorities have detained more than 800 suspected terrorists and accomplices. More than 60 terrorists have been shot dead by the police.

Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, is still engaged in an intense fight against terrorism that has stemmed from various splinter groups of Jamaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaeda affiliate behind the Bali bombings.

In such a fight, more arrests are expected and more collateral damage is likely to ensue.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar has repeatedly denied the “wrongful arrests”. He claims that individuals were merely questioned and were, therefore, not entitled to rehabilitation as otherwise stipulated in the Criminal Law Procedures Code.

“The interrogation period allowed under the Terrorism Law lasts for up to seven days, not two days as is the case for suspects in regular crimes,” he said.

(2013-02-16/jakartapost)