A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – The families of six slain Islam Defenders Front (FPI) supporters have spoken up about their deceased family members to lawmakers following their deaths at the hands of the police in an alleged altercation on Monday amid the police's move to name the group's controversial leader a suspect of COVID-19 health protocol breach.
The families' accounts are similar to the version of events provided by the group, which claimed the six members were not carrying weapons and were victims of "extrajudicial killing" by the police.
House of Representatives Commission III overseeing law and human rights affairs invited the family members to a hearing at the House compound on Thursday.
The six killed members are Andi Oktiawan, 33, Ahmad Sofiyan, 26, Faiz Ahmad Syukur, 22, Muhammad Reza, 20, Lutfi Hakim, 25 and Muhammad Suci Khadavi, 21.
Anandra, the older sister of Khadafi; Zainuri, the father of Lutfi; Umar, the uncle of Andi; and Septi, the older sister of Muhammad Reza, shared their accounts in the hearing with the lawmakers.
Anandra said the last time she met Khadafi was last Thursday evening when he asked for their mother's permission to join the convoy of FPI leader Rizieq Shihab to an event in Megamendung in Bogor, West Java on Sunday.
The family had not heard anything from Khadafi by Monday, although concerns were raised after they heard the news of six FPI supporters shot dead by the police.
Then in the afternoon several FPI members went to their house, inviting them to the group's headquarters in Petamburan, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta to explain what had happened to Khadafi, recalled Anandra.
The FPI then recovered the bodies of the six people after the police's autopsy process at Kramat Jati Hospital on Tuesday evening and prepped them for burial the next day.
Anandra said that as a woman, she could not directly see her brother's dead body when the family bathed him for burial, however, their father told them of Khadafi's condition.
Citing her father, she claimed that Khadafi had three bullet wounds on his body, while his back had what appeared to be wounds from being dragged on the ground, as well as a bruise on his forehead.
Some of the wounds had not been properly closed up and were still bleeding even after being wrapped in cloth, she said.
"This is a slaughter. They did not fight back just as was reported," Anandra told the hearing led by Commission III deputy chief lawmaker Desmond J. Mahesa.
Zainuri said he only found out about Luthfi's death on Monday afternoon when the neighbors told him about the alleged altercation between the FPI and the police.
He also claimed he saw evidence of torture on his son's body when he bathed him for burial.
He said on his son's body there were puncture wounds from what he said could have been close-range gunshots and some of his skin was peeled off.
The families also denied that the deceased were carrying any weapons, as the police said they shot the six FPI supporters out of self-defense.
"They never carried any weapons, whether pistols or machetes, as reported in the media. What would be [the purpose of carrying weapons], their intent was good and was not for war," Anandra said.
The families' statement echoed a statement made by FPI chairman Ahmad Shabri Lubis after recovering the bodies of the six FPI members, who said the bodies of the six men had more than one gunshot wound, and the shots appeared to have been aimed at the heart.
The hearing came amid a stream of criticism from the public and activists leveled at the police over their handling of the case. Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Fadil Imran previously said the police had opened fire on the FPI members at Kilometer 50 of the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road after being attacked by the latter.
The Jakarta Police also named Rizieq and five other people suspects for holding a crowd-pulling event at the group's headquarters in Petamburan in breach of COVID-19 health protocols last month.
"We concluded from our investigation that there are six suspects in this case. The first is MRS [Rizieq], who is charged under articles 160 and 216 of the Criminal Code," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said on Thursday as reported by kompas.com.
Violations of Article 160 on the incitement of criminal acts can be punished with up to six years of imprisonment. Article 216 of the Criminal Code stipulates a prison sentence of up to four months and two weeks for those found guilty of obstructing law enforcement efforts.
Yusri went on to say that investigators would forcibly bring in Rizieq for questioning if he failed to answer his summons again.
Besides the controversial leader, other FPI members named suspects include the head of the event organizer identified as HU, the organizer's secretary A and the organizer's security division head MS. Two more suspects are the organizer's guarantor SL and the organizer's event division head HI.
FPI legal representative Aziz Yanuar refused to further comment on the suspect naming, saying that the group's legal team and Rizieq himself were still discussing the issue.
"We will soon hold a meeting between the lawyers, Rizieq and other suspects. Our discussions will include what we will do to prepare for [what comes next]," Aziz told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Previously, the Tegal Police had named Tegal Legislative Council deputy speaker Wasmad Edi Susilo a suspect for holding a dangdut concert in late September, in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions. Edy Syahputra, general manager of Hairos Water Park in Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra was also named a suspect by the Medan Police in early October for allegedly violating COVID-19 health protocols by opening the recreation site to thousands of people.