Manokwari, Jubi – Following an incident in the Kramomongga District, Fakfak Regency, West Papua Province on August 15, 2023, the police have apprehended a total of 12 individuals suspected of involvement in the attack. Seven of them have faced legal prosecution, while five were fatally shot by law enforcement officers.
Yan Christian Warinussy, the Executive Director of the Manokwari Legal Aid Research, Assessment, and Development Institute (LP3BH), expressed concerns regarding the shooting of four civilians in an ambush operation following the attack that killed Kramamongga District's chief, Darson Hegemur.
This concern arises from information provided by LP3BH Manokwari's contact person in Fakfak, indicating that the four civilians who were fatally shot on Saturday, September 9, 2023 in Nembukteb Village were not connected to the death of the Kramamongga District chief in August 2023.
"To the best of our knowledge from our contact person's investigation, the four residents killed on Saturday were innocent civilians unrelated to the Kramomongga incident," Warinussy said on Saturday,
Warinussy emphasized that, in order to obtain impartial and unbiased information, LP3BH Manokwari has called upon the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) to promptly dispatch an investigative team to probe the deaths of the four civilians.
In accordance with the Human Rights Courts Law, when there is a strong suspicion of human rights violations, Komnas HAM can investigate such incidents, including those in Kramomongga.
"We have recently seen reports of civilians allegedly being shot dead by security forces from the West Papua Police on grounds of resistance to law enforcement officers," he added.
Previously, the West Papua Police had undertaken efforts to apprehend the perpetrators of the arson attack in Nembukteb Village, Kramomongga District, with three individuals being taken into custody.
"Twelve suspects have been apprehended. Seven are currently in custody, while five have been fatally shot," said Sr. Comr. Adam Erwindi, the West Papua Police spokesperson.
The attack in Kramomongga District on August 15 involved the arson of the district office and school building, along with the torturous death of Kramamongga District's chief Darson Hegemur. (*)