Ulma Haryanto – In an unprecedented move, a messenger from the National Police arrived on the doorstep of the National Commission on Human Rights on Friday with the autopsy report on two teenage brothers who were allegedly tortured to death in police custody.
"We received [the documents] straight from National Police headquarters. They were delivered today," said Johny Nelson Simanjuntak, a member of the commission known as Komnas HAM.
Johny, who is in charge of the commission's probe into the case, declined to disclose the contents of the autopsy report because the investigation is ongoing.
Earlier this week, Komnas HAM said it had given the West Sumatra Police until Friday to hand over documents it needed to complete its investigation into the deaths of 14-year old Faisal and 17-year old Budri M. Zen.
Ali Ahmad, from the Komnas HAM office in West Sumatra, said the police were still refusing on Friday to provide the documents because "there was no official letter from Komnas HAM."
This police reluctance, he added, only fueled suspicion that there was a cover-up. After a four-day investigation, Johny said Komnas HAM had found indications that the brothers had been tortured from the day they were arrested.
Faisal was handed over to the Sijunjung Police by villagers on Dec. 21 on suspicion that he had stolen from a charity box at a mosque. Police arrested Faisal's brother, Budri, five days later. On Dec. 28, the police told their family that the two boys had committed suicide by hanging.
"Police said Faisal admitted stealing 17 motorcycles. But I also have witnesses saying that the police had tortured the boy since the first day he was arrested," Johny said.
Aside from the autopsy report, Johny also demanded that the police hand over Faisal's interrogation report and other documents. Sr. Comr. Dainar Sugiarto, a spokesman for the West Sumatra Police, said such documents were for the police's own investigation, and "not to be submitted to Komnas HAM."
"If the commission has evidence, they will submit it to the police. Let the police follow it up if it is true," he said.
The National Police have sanctioned the Sijunjung Police chief and eight officers under him for negligence in failing to prevent the alleged suicides.
The Sijunjung Police chief, Adj. Comr. Syamsul Bahri, was stripped of his rank and sentenced to 21 days in detention. The other eight officers received between 21 and 28 days in detention, demotions and other administrative punishments, including delayed pay raises.