Jakarta – The Jakarta Police's internal affairs division released 72 police officers under investigation for the violent clashes at the National University (Unas) last week, but continued questioning six others, police said Friday.
"The division hasn't confirmed yet if the six officers were involved in the violence or in breach of standard procedure. They are still being examined," said police spokesman Sr. Comr. Ketut Untung Yoga Ana.
Students clashed with police at a demonstration at the Unas campus on Jl. Sawo Manila, South Jakarta, last week. Thirty-one Unas students were arrested for unruly conduct.
In response, students held more demonstrations, demanding the release of their contemporaries, while the parents of those arrested reported the case to the National Commission on Human Rights and the Legal Aid Institute.
Dozens of parents and Unas students spent another night on the street across from the South Jakarta Police office Thursday, demanding the police release the detainees.
Some slept in small white tents, on which they had written "Release our children", while others slept on mats.
"I want my son to be released soon because he has to finish his studies this year. If the police detain him any longer, he will miss his graduation and we will have to pay more in university fees," said Joko Kusnaedi, father of one of the detained students.
Joko and his wife, along with other parents, left the location early in the morning after spending the night, to shower and eat, before returning at 10 a.m.
Also at the camp was Vera, 25, who said she believed her younger brother, Muhammad Anwar, was just defending himself during the rioting and not guilty of any offense.
"My brother looked messy and depressed when I visited him on Thursday. It's my responsibility to get him released, because I've always been his guardian ever since our parents passed away," she told The Jakarta Post.
On Friday, members of House Commission III, which oversees human rights, visited the parents and the detained students.
"All the students will be released under certain conditions by Monday at the latest," lawmaker Trimedya Panjaitan was quoted by Detik.com as telling hundreds of students who staged a protest in front of the police station. He made the announcement after meeting with South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Chairul Anwar.
Later on Friday, students at Atma Jaya University burned tires outside their campus on Jl. Jendral Sudirman in Central Jakarta.
Their actions forced traffic police to divert hundreds of vehicles to the fast lane and created a severe traffic jam, police said. (ind)