•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

After a four-day investigation in West Sumatra, Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights said it found that two boys who died in jail there were tortured to death by police officers.

Sijunjung Police have maintained that they found Faisal, 14, and his brother, Busri M. Zen, 17, dead in their cell on Dec. 28 after apparently committing suicide.

But Johny Nelson Simanjuntak, a member of the rights organization known as Komnas HAM, said their investigation found otherwise.

“I have witnesses’ accounts stating that Faisal and his brother Busri had been tortured by the police since the first days after they were arrested,” Johny said on Tuesday.

Faisal was arrested on Dec. 21 for stealing from a charity box at a mosque. Busri was arrested five days later for motorcycle theft.

Johny said his team found villagers who were there the day Faisal was taken into custody.

“He was kicked in the stomach. The police continued to beat him until late into the evening and there were people outside the police precinct who actually heard the boy screaming in pain,” he continued.

Asked whether this was known to be a regular practice by local law enforcement, Johny said Komnas HAM would issue a complete report of its findings.

Five days after Faisal was arrested, the police deployed a team to seek out and arrest Faisal’s brother, Busri.

“People saw the troops beat him up before throwing him into the vehicle,” Johny said. “I found that they were overreacting for a motorcycle theft.”

Johny added that Sijunjung Police were unable to show him any criminal records belonging to either of the brothers.

“They told me that Busri had stolen 17 motorcycles, but when I demanded to see the records, they couldn’t answer. Not even an interrogation report,” he said.

From the pictures of the bodies and inspection of the precinct, Johny was also convinced that the brothers did not commit suicide.

“The marks around their necks were on a horizontal angle instead of going upward. I also couldn’t find the shredded shirt or curtain that police claimed were used by the brothers to hang themselves,” he said.

The National Police have sanctioned the Sijunjung Police chief and eight others under him, but only for negligence in failing to prevent the alleged suicides, and not for human rights violations.

Adj. Comr. Syamsul Bahri, the Sijunjung Police chief, has been stripped of his rank and sentenced to 21 days in detention. The eight other officers all received jail sentences ranging from 21 to 28 days, as well as administrative punishments ranging from demotion to delayed pay raises.

Komnas HAM said it would give the West Sumatra Police a week to hand over the autopsy results and other relevant documents before forwarding its investigation to the National Police.

“We want those responsible for this to be held accountable,” Johny said. “We demand a reform in leadership for the police forces in West Sumatra.”

House of Representatives Commission III also plans to send a team to verify events. Lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari said the team would depart on Thursday or Friday.