SEAPA Jakarta Protest Continued Police Abuse of Power

His Excellency General (Police) Da’i Bachtiar
National Police Chief
Jl. Trunojoyo No. 3. Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Via Fax: 62-21-7207277

Your Excellency,

The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is deeply disturbed by the continuous police abuse of power in just the first month of year 2002. In the third police assault this month, authority officers ransacked Waspada daily offices in Medan, North Sumatra, January 23, 2002. They destroyed office equipments and injured reporter Setia Budi Siregar, as they chased a suspected gang fighter.

Local journalists said the incident started as riot police tried to disperse a gang brawl nearby the Waspada daily office. They fired warning shots and the crowd, including gang members, ran all over the place. Waspada’s janitor was standing close-by watching the drama. He too ran for cover into the Waspada building. A number of police officers saw the janitor running away and assumed he was one of the gang members. Authority officers then followed, dragging Waspada’s security guard, and went straight to the third level where 40 employees were working at the newsroom.

Eyewitnesses said the officers were in rage.

“There were five of them, four in uniform, one plain clothed,” afternoon news reporter Zeini Zein told online media Detik.com. “They were brutal, yelling and throwing objects all over the room.”

The officers also punched sports writer Setia Budi Siregar as he was about to file his story. The journalist repeatedly told his attackers that he works for Waspada, but they kept on assaulting him. The officers eventually stopped after Siregar managed to show his press card.

The office rampage finally ended after police found the janitor and realised that he was not involved in the gang riot.

The paper filed a complaint the next day (24/1) to Medan Police headquarters. Deputy Chief Ishak Robinson Sampe apologised but refused to detain or put his men on trial.

This was Waspada’s second attack since January 13 last year where members of the Communication Forum for Young Generation ABRI (FKPPI) crashed a mini-van into the office compound, protesting a story on the group.

The attack in Medan was the third police assault his month. The first police brutality incident occurred on January 3 where plain-clothed officers punched and kicked to the ground two Metro reporters in Bandung, West Java. The reporters were reporting on a gang fight when police officers, knowing that they were from the press, approached and thumped them.

The second police attack happened in Kediri, East Java on January 8 when Radio Suara Andika reporter Tantowi Jauhari was assaulted by police officer Bagus Setiawan at a random motor vehicle check. After the journalist was cleared, he saw another motorbike rider being punched by an officer. He questioned Setiawan, but the officer responded with a series of punches. As the journalist laid wounded – injury to his left eye, forehead and nose – Setiawan asked for his ID and found out he was a journalist. Suddenly the officer’s attitude changed drastically. He gave his handkerchief to the reporter so he could wipe his blood. Officer Setiawan took the journalist to the hospital and told the doctors that Tantowi was wounded from falling off his motorbike.

SEAPA is very disappointed especially with Medan Police for not upholding justice on an incident where its members clearly abused their authority. As an organisation dedicated to the protection and promotion of press freedom, SEAPA demands Medan Police to put the five officers to justice and stop its brutal use of force. The deman also valid to Bandung Police as well as Kediri Police. SEAPA also demands Indonesian Police in general to act more responsible in upholding justice, especially when the perpetrators come from the police force. SEAPA would like to remind you that, along with other press institutions and organisations concerned worldwide, we have been monitoring police violence for years, and we have found that Indonesian Police reputation is somehow far from being the law and order institution. If there is no attempty whatsoever from Indonesian Police, not only that you would destroy freedom of the press, but also your credibility.

Respectfully yours

Lukas Luwarso Solahudin
Director of SEAPA Jakarta Advocacy Coordinator