Student Suffers Head Injury From Police Brutality

Jayapura, Jubi – A Papuan student suffered a head injury during clashes with police who fired shots and teargas to disperse a rally marking the West Papuan anniversary in Jakarta.

Niko Suhun, 21, a member of the Alliance of Papua Student (AMP), underwent treartment in hospital for skull fractures, Veronika Koman, a lawyer from Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), told Jubi on Wednesday (2/12/2015). .

“Niko was exposed to tear gas, then its bullet grazed his head. When he was half-conscious, he was dragged and trampled by the police officers and military personnel. It caused skull fracture, head trauma, bleeding under the skin of head, and also at the bottom of the skull that requires surgery. He cannot eat because of chin trauma during the torture,”

Accompanying Papua students since they were detained at the Jakarta Police Headquarters on Tuesday (1/12/2015), Koman explained Niko Suhun has been tortured and brought by his friends to UKI Hospital for CT scanning. The doctor who examined him described he got fracture at the right side of head the back that caused brain swelling. It also triggered blood clumping in his brain. After diagnosis, he was directly referred to National Brain Center (PON) Hospital for further treatment.

When contact by Jubi at PON Hospital, Nika said he was exposed with tear gas. When he fell down, the police came and trampled over him. “Then I heard the shot. I didn’t know where it was and how it hit the right side of my head. I just instantly fell down and fainted,” Niko said.

PapuaItuKita activist, Zely Ariane who observe the rally held on Tuesday (1/12/2015) told Jubi the Police not only arrested 306 student activists who members of the Alliance of Papua Student, but also attacked a student named Zeth Tabuni when trying to help Niko.

The Chairman of AMP Semarang Committee, Bernardo Bome, confirmed to Jubi said currently two students are still detained, while the rest have been released. The two students are Enos and Eli who studied at STKIP Surya Tangerang. Both are still detained for further questions. “They are subjected to the Article 170 on attacking, Article 160 on incitement, Article 212 on against the officers, and the Article 214 and 315 on torture,” she said.

The Head of Criminal Investigation of Jakarta Police, Eko Hadi Santoso, as cited from media claimed he had two evidences that be enough to charge the suspects. The evidences are including the result of medical examination and report from a witness who confessed being attacked. The beatings and attack were occurred at gas station 34-15807 located at Jalan Raya Gading Serpong Kav 4/1, Pakulonan Barat, Kelapa Dua Sub-district, Tangerang at around 06:00 Tuesday morning on 1 December 2015.

Addressing the police’s allegation, Veronika said technical there was an attack over the police, but this action could not be seen partially because the fact is Enos and Eli and their friends who wanted to join the rally were on the way from Tangerang but being blocked by the ununiformed officers,” he said.

“This incident of rally dissolution by the police at Bundaran HI must be observed as a whole, from dissolution to arrest. Because the police have already knew the student movement, which is coming from nine different points in Jakarta and other cities towards the scene. The police blocked the students at the nine points, the point is the police wanted to screw the rally,” she said.

A trusted informant in Jakarta told Jubi that earlier before the rally, the Jakarta Police Chief Tito Karnavian came meeting the students and talked with them nicely, but at the end the protest was ended in dispute. “As Papuan, I am certainly disappointed, and condemned the police who continuously to abuse democracy with such ways,” he said.

Besides 306 students who arrested in the rally, a gemstone seller initialed with AG was also arrested by the police and detained with hundreds of Papuan students in Jakarta. (Arnold Belau/rom)