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Catholics want fair trial against brutal Indonesian soldiers

Source
UCA News - August 31, 2022

Church officials in Indonesia's Christian-majority Papua province have called for fail trial against six soldiers arrested for allegedly killing and mutilating four people.

Faizal Ramadhani, director of Criminal Investigation of the Papua Police said the soldiers pretended to sell weapons to lure the victims, who were allegedly affiliated with the pro-independence movement.

The soldiers then killed them and mutilated their bodies, he said on Aug. 30. The dismembered bodies of the victims were put in sacks and dumped into a river outside the city of Timika on Aug. 22, the day the crime was allegedly committed.

The remains of a fourth victim were found on August 30 after the other three were found a few days earlier.

The Papuan police have also named four civilians as suspects, who in the investigation process stated that the soldiers were directly involved in the killing.

Yuliana Langowuyo, director of the Franciscans' Secretariat for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in Papua, condemned the brutalities saying that "the perpetrators must be punished severely for a deterrent effect."

"The legal process must also be open so that the victim's family and the public can follow it. Without public scrutiny, the perpetrators could go free, or the sentences would be light and make incidents like this considered normal and could happen again and again," she told UCA News on August 31.

She stated that what is also important in this case is related to "the arms trade which seems normal in Papua."

"The weapons sold by the military in Papua don't seem to be taken seriously. In fact, civilian casualties due to armed violence continue to increase," she said.

"Therefore, the seriousness of the government is not only punishing the perpetrators to the fullest but also disciplining members of the military so that weapons are not freely traded," she added.

Father Bernard Baru, chairman of the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission of the Augustinian Order in Papua, warned that the case should be handled as a heinous crime, and must not be linked with politics, whether or not the victims were involved with the pro-independence movement.

"If it is related to politics, then the law will be difficult to find a way to achieve truth and justice. What must be dealt with are military crimes against them," he told UCA News.

Pastor Benny Giay, the moderator of Papuan Church Council, an organization of Protestant churches, alleged that this violence has triggered fear and stigmatizing impacts on Papua.

"This gives birth to a derivative in the form of violence and cruelty by the security forces who are indiscriminately against indigenous Papuans," he said.

Teguh Muji Angkasa, a senior military officer in Papua, told reporters that the army is coordinating with the police on the investigation, and they are "committed to upholding the rule of law."

"We will impose strict sanctions if the soldiers are proven to be involved (in the crime)," Angkasa said.

Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the separatist group, the National Liberation Army for West Papua, demanded the Indonesian government execute the perpetrators.

"This is a crime against humanity by the Indonesian government through its security forces," Sambom said in a statement and threatened to carry out a "retaliatory operation" if their demands were ignored.

Indonesia maintains a large military presence in the resource-rich but underdeveloped easternmost region of Papua, where conflict with pro-independence separatist rebels has claimed thousands of lives.

A former Dutch colony, Papua declared independence in 1961, but Indonesia annexed the territory soon. An independence referendum that followed was widely manipulated in favor of Indonesia.

Source: https://www.ucanews.com/news/catholics-want-fair-trial-against-brutal-indonesian-soldiers/9860

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