Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan | Wed, 06/06/2012 8:50 AM
Victims of alleged police brutality in North Sumatra have demanded that justice be meted out to the
perpetrators.
“I
was shocked when I saw blood gushing from a gunshot wound in my left
calf. What did I do wrong to be shot? I want the officer who shot me in
the leg prosecuted,” Gusmanto, 18, from Pulo Jantan village, told The
Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
He said plainclothes policemen shot him
during a protest against the arrest of 60 residents following an alleged
arson attack on a security post at PT Smart in North Labuhan Batu
regency on Sunday.
The local residents went to the local police station to demand the release of their neighbors.
Gusmanto
said that a policeman aimed his gun at them and ordered them not to
move. For fear of a clash, the protesters reportedly intended to retreat
when gunshots were fired.
Gusmanto said he then realized his calf was bleeding.
He
threatened to report the case to the House of Representatives, the
National Commission on Human Rights and the National Police
headquarters. He called on the institutions to “stop brutal acts by the
police and avoid further victims.”
The North Sumatra branch of
the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence’s (Kontras)
coordinator, Muhrizal Syahputra, said that from 2011 to June 2012, at
least 12 cases of police brutality had been recorded in various regions
in the province, mostly related to land disputes between residents and
plantation companies.
He accused the police of gross mistreatment
including shootings, torture and unlawful detention. He said as many as
100 people had fallen victim to harsh police acts across the province.
“The
number of victims of police brutality is very high, but to date, none
of the cases has been brought to court. We demand the cases be opened to
the public and immediately tried,” said Muhrizal.
When contacted
for confirmation, North Sumatra Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Heru Prakoso
said the case of the detention of the 60 farmers in North Labuhan Batu
was being processed.
Based on preliminary investigation, Heru
said 50 of the farmers had been deemed innocent and released while the
others were still undergoing questioning.
Heru denied the police
had resorted to shooting when handling the conflict between residents
and PT Smart security guards, and insisted that the police followed
procedure.
In response to the demand that police personnel
involved in the violence be immediately brought to justice, Heru said
the police never protected wayward officers.
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