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Indonesia's
National Police are investigating the shocking deaths of two young brothers
inside a police prison in West Sumatra last week.
“Nine
officers who were on duty [at the time of the deaths] are being questioned by
an internal team,” police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said on Friday.
According
to Boy, Sijunjung Police have claimed that the two boys, 14-year-old Faisal and
17-year-old Busri, hanged themselves in their prison cell.
“A forensic
examination has been conducted but I have not received the report yet,” he
said.
Faisal was
arrested on Dec. 21 for stealing from a charity box at a mosque, while Busri
was arrested five days later for stealing a motorcycle.
On the
night of Dec. 28, Faisal and Busri’s parents were notified by the village
administration office that their sons had died in police custody.
“When they
arrived at the police precinct, the officers told them that the boys hanged
themselves using their clothing as ropes and asked the parents to sign a
statement saying that they would not sue the police for anything that
happened,” said Roni Saputra from Padang Legal Aid Institute (LBH), who is
representing the family.
Roni said
that since both parents were illiterate, they obligingly signed the letter.
“Police
didn’t show the bodies right away but instead put [the corpses] in an ambulance
and dropped them off at their parents’ house,” he said.
But instead
of finding the usual marks of someone who died from hanging, the parents saw
that their sons’ bodies were full of injuries.
“First,
Busri’s arm was swollen, as if his bones were broken, there was a big gash on
his left leg, as if someone sliced it open. [The boys’] thighs have marks
similar to electrocution, their toes were smashed and their skulls were soft,”
Roni said, adding that fresh blood was still flowing from Faisal’s nose.
“The only
mark that is consistent with the police’s claim was that the skin around their
neck was chafed,” Roni continued.
The
frustrated parents went back to the police precinct with a number of other
villagers and demanded an autopsy.
“At first
the police refused, but then more and more people from the village came and
held a demonstration until the police chief agreed,” he added.
As of
Friday, the family is still waiting for the result.
“We demand
transparency from the police, including the Sijunjung police about the real
cause of death,” Roni said, adding that they also have coordinated with West
Sumatra Commission of Human Rights (Komda HAM) to investigate the case.
Maria Ulfa
Anshor, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Commission for Child Protection (KPAI)
said the case showed the police cared little for the welfare of youngsters.
“This case
shows that child protection is not being done by the police,” Maria said.
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