Jakarta – The criminal case against two policemen charged with the murder of four Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) members has been handed over to the court, the Attorney General's Office said on Tuesday.

Inspector 2nd Class Yusmin Ohorela and Brigadier 1st Class Fikri Ramadhan are charged with murder in connection to the December 7, 2020 fatal shooting of six members of the hardline group after a car pursuit in the outskirts of Jakarta.

Two FPI members were killed on the spot with police claiming they had resisted arrest and threatened officers with machetes and a gun.

Four others were killed after being taken away in an unmarked police vehicle, prompting the National Commission for Human Rights to step in and demand a criminal investigation. The indictment focuses on the four deaths.

AGO spokesman Leonard Simanjuntak said the case will be tried by the South Jakarta District Court.

"South Jakarta prosecutors are waiting for further notice concerning the date of the trial from the South Jakarta District Court," Leonard said.

A third suspect in the case, identified as Inspector 2nd Class Elwira Priyadi Zendrato, has died in a traffic incident and his case was accordingly dismissed by the law.

The incident occurred when police were pursuing a vehicle convoy carrying FPI leader Rizieq Syihab, who was wanted for questioning related to alleged violations of social restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rizieq had earlier ignored multiple police summonses.

During the highway chase, two cars carrying Rizieq's bodyguards blocked the police vehicle and opened fire at officers, police have claimed.

But the FPI said the six slain members were unarmed and "slaughtered" by police in plain clothes in an unmarked car.

Several weeks later, the FPI was disbanded and classified as a forbidden group by the government, which cited links to terrorism.

In June, Rizieq was sentenced to four years in prison in two separate trials for violating health protocols, spreading false claims related to his medical condition, and inciting unrest.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/two-policemen-to-face-trial-over-fatal-shooting-of-fpi-member