Police have been filmed heckling prosecutors at trial of 5 folks, together with three law enforcement officials, over catastrophe that killed 135 folks.
Medan, Indonesia – Members of Indonesia’s Cellular Brigade Corps often known as Brimob – a particular operations and paramilitary department of the Nationwide Police – have tried to disrupt the trial of 5 folks, together with three law enforcement officials, over final yr’s stadium crush that left 135 folks lifeless.
Video shared on social media confirmed the officers, dressed of their distinctive navy-blue berets, jeering and heckling as prosecutors arrived on February 14 on the ongoing trial into the crush on the Kanjuruhan Stadium within the metropolis of Malang.
Police, together with Brimob officers, fired tear fuel indiscriminately into the stands on the finish of the October match between native staff Arema FC and rivals Persebaya Surabaya, as followers fled in panic.
“We contemplate the behaviour of the handfuls of Brimob officers a type of contempt of court docket as a result of their angle was disgraceful and inappropriate, and a type of intimidation towards the Public Prosecutor,” Indonesia’s Authorized Support Institute, at the side of a number of different civil society teams, mentioned in an announcement on Wednesday following the court docket incident.
The assertion added that the officers’ behaviour confirmed a transparent abuse of energy and was designed to disrupt the authorized course of.
The three law enforcement officials going through court docket are Wahyu S Wahyu, the chief of operations of the Malang Regency Police, Hasdarman, the commander of the third Cellular Brigade Firm of the East Java Police and Bambang Sidik Achmadi, the top of the Prevention Unit of the Malang Regency Police. Safety officer Suko Sutrisno and match organising committee chairman Abdul Haris are additionally on trial.
The boys are accused of failing to hold out fundamental safety checks and permitting the usage of tear fuel within the stadium, regardless of its prohibition by FIFA, which regulates the game world wide.
The boys are charged underneath Indonesia’s Legal Code with negligence resulting in dying and negligence resulting in bodily hurt, with the prosecution asking for jail phrases of six years and eight months for the 2 civilian defendants. The prosecution has but to announce its sentencing calls for for the three law enforcement officials.
The case is one more problem for the judicial system within the face of police violence, with Indonesia’s Nationwide Police, often known as Polri, additionally within the dock in different instances in Indonesia’s courts.
A lot of the Kanjuruhan trial has taken place similtaneously the trial of Ferdy Sambo – the previous head of Indonesia’s Inner Affairs division and one of many nation’s most senior law enforcement officials.
On Monday, Sambo was sentenced to dying for the premeditated homicide of his aide-de-camp Brigadier Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat.
Two different law enforcement officials, Ricky Rizal Wibowo and Richard Eliezer have been additionally sentenced to 13 years and one and a half years imprisonment, respectively for his or her roles within the crime, which additionally concerned allegations of a widespread police cover-up involving dozens of police personnel.
Conflicts of curiosity?
The Kanjuruhan trial has been underneath scrutiny because it started final month, with legal professionals and human rights teams registering their issues even earlier than the video of the Brimob officers emerged.
Along with the felony trial, there are two ongoing civil proceedings which have skilled related issues, in line with these concerned.
Imam Hidayat, a lawyer representing a few of the victims in one of many civil instances, informed Al Jazeera there had been “no respect” from the authorities following the tragedy and that the police had not processed the case in accordance with commonplace practices, together with not correctly submitting paperwork or offering victims and their households with the right paperwork.
“There's a actual lack of seriousness about how they've dealt with this case and an absence of professionalism,” he mentioned.
Hidayat mentioned there was a battle of curiosity in having the police examine a case during which three law enforcement officials are on trial and that a few of the defendants’ authorized counsel had additionally come from the police ranks.
“There must be an impartial staff of investigators coping with the victims and their households. The police clearly have a battle of curiosity on this case and it's inflicting energy struggles. They can't be goal and there's a lack of transparency,” he mentioned.
Within the wake of the tragedy, the top of the Indonesian Nationwide Police, Listyo Sigit Prabowo sacked the Malang Chief of Police, Ferli Hidayat, and relieved 9 officers from Brimob of their duties.
Usman Hamid, the top of Amnesty Indonesia, informed Al Jazeera there had been a number of worrying points with the authorized course of, which “confirmed that the case was not being investigated transparently and independently”.
Based on Hamid, these points included a restrict on the variety of folks allowed to be current at court docket and requiring journalists to register upfront to cowl the proceedings. The defendants within the felony case additionally initially appeared in court docket through video hyperlink as a result of purported safety issues.
“In the meantime, the president, the chief of police and different representatives of the federal government have been absent on the listening to at Malang District Courtroom, leading to a delay within the authorized course of,” Hamid mentioned. “That is additionally an indication that President Joko Widodo’s promise that the federal government will assure the fulfilment of victims’ rights was merely phrases”.
Mahfud MD, Indonesia’s Minister for Politics and Legislation, was not accessible to reply to Al Jazeera’s questions in regards to the trial. Prabowo, the chief of police, didn't reply to requests for remark.
Elmiati, whose three-year-old son Muhammad Virdy Prayoga died alongside along with her husband Rudi Hariyanto within the crush, informed Al Jazeera she was concerned in one of many civil instances in Malang however that she felt deserted by the authorized course of.
“There have been no extra donations because the incident first occurred and there was no follow-up to the promise from the federal government that the victims’ households could be helped to seek out work,” she mentioned. “There was no assist for my different youngster who's in class and nobody needs to take accountability for what occurred.”
She mentioned she was on the lookout for a job however that it was being made troublesome contemplating her circumstances and the stress brought on by all of the irregularities with the felony and civil instances.
‘So many threats’
One other plaintiff, who's concerned in each the felony and civil trials and who spoke to Al Jazeera on situation of anonymity, mentioned he had needed to enter witness safety on account of the tragedy.
Having misplaced two of his youngsters within the crush, he mentioned he was now having to maneuver homes each few days as a result of threats and is underneath the care of Indonesia’s Witness Safety Programme.
“There are such a lot of threats, from the authorities, from thugs and from soccer administration,” he mentioned. “They need me to withdraw from the instances and never give proof in court docket. However I’m nonetheless going to attempt.”
“What we're seeing is a authorized vacuum and a void the place there isn't any legislation being utilized,” lawyer Hidayat mentioned.
In the meantime, the Authorized Support Institute mentioned in its assertion that motion ought to be taken towards the Brimob officers who heckled the court docket.
“We condemn the actions of members of the police who have been boastful, intimidating and dedicated contempt of court docket,” the assertion mentioned. “We name on the Chief of Police to cease such behaviour from interfering with the impartiality and integrity of the court docket course of.”
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