Jayapura, Jubi – The lawyer of the families of victims of Mimika murder, Gustaf R Kawer, considered the reconstruction of the murder and mutilation of four Nduga residents odd.
“The reconstruction of the murder by the security forces is very odd. It is mostly the version of the perpetrators and less from the witnesses,” Kawer said in Jayapura City on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
According to Kawer, the reconstruction that took place on September 3 demonstrated 40 scenes. Of the 40 scenes, there were only 10 scenes that showed the role of the Raider/20 Ima Jaya Keramo Infantry Brigade soldiers allegedly involved in the murder and mutilation.
Kawer questioned how the reenactment of the crime emphasized the role of Roy or RMH, while Roy himself was still a fugitive and did not participate in the reconstruction.
“The story that was built in the reenactment from the beginning to the end revolved around Roy. But the person was not even there. It was as if Roy was made the sole perpetrator even though there were Indonesian Military [TNI] members named as suspects,” Kawer said.
The murder and mutilation of four civilians from Nduga Regency occurred in Settlement Unit 1, Mimika Baru District, Mimika Regency on August 22, 2022. The four victims were Arnold Lokbere, Leman Nirigi, Irian Nirigi, and Atis Tini.
Kawer said the reenactment showed one of the victims, Arnold Lokbere, in front of a mosque at 10 p.m. local time. “We find it strange that people around the location who are mentioned in the reenactment do not know about the murder,” he said.
Kawer urged the formation of an independent team to fully uncover the chronology and reconstruction of the Mimika murder and mutilation. “The case is now handed over to the Military Police and the police, and will be tried in the general court and military court as a general criminal case,” Kawer said.
Meanwhile, Papua Legislative Council member Namantus Gwijangge said the victims’ families considered the reenactment of the murder scene seemed rushed. “The family asked the Papua Legislative Council to have the case investigated by an independent team, and the perpetrators sentenced to death,” Gwijangge said.
On Monday, the Papua Office of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM Papua) said the reconstruction had not fully revealed the murder and mutilation. Komnas HAM Papua head Frits Ramandey noted that a number of perpetrators refused to act out certain scenes so certain roles were replaced by other people.
Komnas HAM Papua also stated that the reconstruction raised the suspicion that there were two more soldiers of the Raider/20 Ima Jaya Keramo Infantry Brigade involved in the murder and mutilation but had not been named as suspects. However, Komnas HAM Papua did not mention the names or ranks of the two soldiers. (*)
