Ina Parlina – The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Tuesday urged the government to conduct a through evaluation of its security operations in Papua following the emergence of three cases in which native Papuans were tortured by members of the military there.
"After investigating the case, we urge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to use a human security approach in implementing Papua's special autonomy and in resolving conflict there," commission head Ifdhal Kasim said Tuesday.
The commission also called for Papua to be opened to national and international personnel who could provide constructive input, partake in lobbying efforts and help monitor the process of conflict resolution and the implementation of special autonomy in Papua.
The torture cases surfaced after a video depicting one of the torture incidents was posted on YouTube in October before the website pulled it. The video appears to show several men in military fatigues torturing two Papuans, Anggen Pugu Kiwo and Telengga Gire, in May 2010.
The soldiers in the video threatened the two men with sharp weapons and pressed a burning bamboo stick against one of the men's genitals.
According to Ifdhal, Kiwo and Gire were being questioned about the outlawed Free Papua Movement during the torturing.
The commission also received and later investigated the murder of Papuan Reverent Kindeman Gire from Tingginambut in the village of Gorage. They also processed another torture case in which military officers beat and kicked 27 Puncak Jaya residents in March last year.
Ifdhal said his office had found that the military had violated human rights by torturing the Papuans and imposing cruel and inhumane treatment when questioning them. "The military officers have also violated their rights to feel safe".
However, the commission did not consider the incidents gross human rights violations and therefore they did not recommend the establishment of a rights tribunal to prosecute the perpetrators, commission member Ridha Saleh told The Jakarta Post.
The commission demanded the Cenderawasih Military Command, which oversees Papua and West Papua, to investigate the military's efforts to probe the torture of Kiwo and Gire, as well as the murder of Rev. Kindeman Gire. So far, the military has not investigated either case, but has investigated the torture of the 27 Puncak Jaya residents in March.
In November, the Jayapura military tribunal sentenced Chief Pvt. Sahminan Husain Lubis, Second Pvt. Joko Sulistiono and Second Pvt. Dwi Purwanto to five months in prison for their roles in the beatings.
Their superior, Second Lt. Cosmos, was sentenced to seven months in prison for his role.