Faiz Nashrillah, Jakarta – Chairman of human rights watchdog group Setara Institute Hendardi, said on Saturday, July 25, 2015, that the roots of Tolikara incident are injustice and continued discrimination.
According to him, almost all findings and statements of people there denied that there was an attack. "It means there's another force that initiated the incident," Hendardi said in a written statement on Saturday.
He went on to say that one of the short-term measure to investigate the accident that must be made is by disclosing the motivation of the shooting to 12 Papuans and punishing police officers who used guns in an unaccountable way.
He also said that the statement made by the chief of the national police General Badrodin Haiti that said that the shooting was done to protect the rights of Moslems there to perform Idul Fitri prayer was groundless.
As for the long-term measure, he said that Setara urged President Joko Widodo to made a policy that eliminates discrimination and violence in Papua and to bring to justice those who committed human rights crimes in Papua.
For the record, a riot occurred in Tolikara last Thursday between Muslims and Christians that led to the destruction of several kiosks. One person died in the incident while several others were injured.
The riot started after people, thought to be members of GIDI, threw rocks at those performing Idul Fitri prayers.