Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) is being urged to immediately investigate the arrest and torture of eight Acehnese Humanitarian Volunteers Association (Perhimpunan Relawan Kemanusiaan Aceh, Pemraka) activists and two civilians by police on August 7.

The call was made by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) on Wednesday August 11 at a demonstration held at the offices of Komnas HAM Jakarta. The demonstrators also brought posters which condemned the actions of security personnel which went far beyond their authority.

“The arrests by personnel from the Banda Aceh district police headquarters [were made] without arrest or search warrants. Several of the activists were tortured and beaten to the extent that they [suffered serious] bruising and were burnt by cigarettes”, said Kontras working coordinator Usman Hamid.

As well as raiding the Pemraka offices, the police also marked the office doors with the letter “X” and the words “GAM” (Free Aceh Movement).

Based on data obtained by Kontras, the victims of the arrests and torture include Pemraka working coordinator Asnawi (30) and staff member Farizal (26). A similar fate befell five others including Marzuki (32), Ilyas (24), Samsul (45) and Amir A. Manaf.

There were two other victims involved in the incident including a civil servant from the Aceh governors’ office, Adami (50), and a worker from a private firm, Mansur (30). Komnas HAM member retired inspector general Koesparmono Irsan promised to immediately phone the head of the Aceh police that day to request clarification on the issue. (DWA)

[Translated by James Balowski.]