Singgih Wiryono, Jakarta – The chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Papua representative office, Frits Ramadey, says that the murder and mutilation of four Papuan civilians in Mimika was premeditated and planned by the perpetrators two days beforehand.
"Because this was planned two days earlier", Ramadey told Sorong Kompas TV as quoted by Kompas.com on Saturday September 17.
Ramadey also said that the TNI (Indonesian military) personnel who were involved in the crime were not just low-ranking soldiers, but also included a captain and a major.
"If we look at the ranks there was a major, a captain, then down to the lower-ranks", he said.
Ramadey revealed that there is a possibility that the case will be declared a gross human rights violation because the murders were premeditated and there were state officials involved.
"Does this case have the potential to be declared a gross human rights violation? Once again, this is very possible, it is very possible it will be declared so", he explained. "So (the crime) was designed in such a way", concluded Ramadey.
Earlier, Army military police investigators detained six suspects in the murder and mutilation case.
The Army's information office chief (Kadispenad), Brigadier General Tatang Subarna, explained that the six suspects have been detained in order to facilitate questioning and the investigation.
"Right now the suspects are being held at the Subdenpom XVII/C [military police sub-detachment] detention centre in Mimika counting from Monday August 29 to September 17, 2022", said Subarna in a written release on Tuesday September 30.
Subarna insisted that the Army is serious about solving the case and handing down firm and severe punishments against the perpetrators. "(The application of punishments) will be in accordance with prevailing regulations and legal stipulations", he said.
Two of the six suspects are infantry officers with the initials and rank Infantry Major HF and Infantry Captain DK. The remainder are soldiers with the initials Master Private (Praka) PR and Privates First Class (Pratu) RAS, RPC and R.
Meanwhile the four civilian suspects – APL alias J, DU, R and RMH – are being dealt with by the police.
The four civilian victims in the case, LN, AL, AT and IN, were murdered on August 22. The perpetrators pretended that they were going to sell firearms to them.
When the victims arrived with 250 million rupiah in money for the firearms, they were killed and mutilated, then the bodies were disposed of in the Igapu Village River, Iwaka District.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Komnas HAM Perwakilan Papua Sebut Mutilasi Warga di Mimika Sudah Direncanakan".]
