Anti-terror squad reported over rights violation

Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 05/26/2010 7:33 PM | National

As many as 15 members of the Muslim Lawyers Team (TPM) reported Wednesday the police’s Detachment 88 anti-terror squad to the National Commission of Human Rights over human rights abuse allegation during several raids this month.

“We have collected information and evidence confirming irregularities during the raids.

“The police fail to prove the role of a number of the killed suspects in terrorism,” Guntur Fatahillah from the TPM said.

Guntur cited the raid in Bekasi in March as an example.

He claimed that a son of Air Setiawan, a killed suspect in the raid, admitted of having seen his father in Solo, Central Java, only few hours before the police shot Air to death.

Another example was the raid in Cawang, East Jakarta, earlier this month. The police shot dead three suspects but only found one revolver as evidence.

Witnesses also reported that police officers hit a helpless suspect with rock several times before shooting him in a close range, Guntur said.

“The police were very brutal. They killed anybody they thought involved in terrorism without sufficient evidence,” said Abu Jibriel, the father of Muhammad Jibriel Abdul Rahman, a terrorist suspect who is now facing trials.

Human rights commission deputy chairman, Ridha Saleh, has said the commission was still studying the reports.

National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri has said that the police had killed suspects who were considered dangerous. “In Aceh, earlier this year, three of my men were killed during a battle with terrorist group. We don’t want that happen again,” Bambang said.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/05/26/antiterror-squad-reported-over-rights-violation.html