JAKARTA - The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), consisting of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (Kontras), the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), and the Press Legal Aid Institute (LBH Pers), urged authorities not to use violence in response to the renewed demonstrations in front of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) today.
YLBHI Deputy Chairperson for Advocacy, Arif Maulana, stated that this mass action should be viewed as part of the exercise of human rights and an active effort to participate in the increasingly worrying governance process.
"We urge security forces not to act repressively and to guarantee freedom of expression and opinion," Maulana said in a statement on Thursday, August 28.
Maulana reminded the National Police (Polri) to adhere to and prioritize the use of force based on the principles of necessity and proportionality, and to prioritize preventive measures in accordance with the provisions of Chief of Police Regulation Number 1 of 2009 concerning the Use of Force in Police Actions.
"The use of crowd-dispersal weapons by officers in carrying out their duties must also be tailored to the situation and carried out in such a way as to minimize unwanted risks, as stipulated in the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials," Arif explained.
Reflecting on the August 25th demonstration, at least 370 people were arbitrarily arrested by police and forcibly transported to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Headquarters.
Arif stated that his team monitored and witnessed protesters being detained at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Headquarters, who claimed to have experienced several acts of violence, resulting in injuries to various parts of their bodies.
Furthermore, the legal process underway at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Headquarters, which is claimed to be for "security" and "data collection," is actually unlawful and we believe it is merely a cover for arbitrary arrests by officers, a human rights violation.
"We must emphasize that Law Number 8 of 1981 concerning Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) does not regulate the term 'security', but rather coercive measures in the form of deprivation of a person's liberty, which are regulated within the framework of arrest or detention," he asserted.
Therefore, Arif urged the National Police to conduct ethical investigations and criminal proceedings against police officers who committed violations, such as brutality against demonstrators and obstruction of legal aid during the August 25th and August 28th demonstrations.
For your information, the police will patrol mapped points to prevent students from rejoining the demonstration in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) Building in Senayan, Jakarta.
As part of the security measures, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro Jaya) deployed 4,531 personnel to secure the labor demonstration in front of the DPR RI Building.
The thousands of personnel consisted of 2,174 personnel from the Metro Jaya Regional Police, 1,725 ​​personnel from the Operational Control Unit (BKO) involving elements of the Indonesian Army, Marines, Mobile Brigade Headquarters, Den C, Jakarta Military District Command, Sabhara Command, Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), and Transportation Agency, as well as 632 personnel from the Resort Police.
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