KPAI Highlights Police Attitudes Regarding The Death Of Junior High School Student Afif Maulana At Kuranji Bridge

KPAI/ Photo: Rizky Sulistio/ VOI

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has spoken out regarding Afif Maulana's unnatural death (13) who is suspected of being tortured by law enforcement officials.

KPAI commissioner, Diyah Puspitarini assessed that something experienced by Afif Maulana by receiving cigarette, kick, was a violation. This is also stated in the Child Protection Law No. 35 of 2021 article 59A.

"So in this case these children, including Afif Maulana's children, must get protection," said Diyah when confirmed, Thursday, July 4.

The Law on Child Protection and the Convention on Child Rights firmly guarantees every child to be free from torture. So it is the state's obligation to prevent and investigate torture, punish perpetrators, provide rehabilitation, and restitution to victims," he continued.

Therefore, KPAI urges the police to prioritize respect and protection of children's human rights, by being firm and professional in uncovering cases of 11 children and the death of Afif Maulana.

He explained that there are various ways that can be done, namely by exhuming the bodies of Afif Maulana and digital forensics of CCTV to reveal the cause of Afif Maulana's death.

"Then identify the perpetrators, so that criminal law enforcement can be carried out against perpetrators of child abuse. KPAI supports the Precision Police, improves the governance of child management in all directorates under the Police. Not only Criminal Investigation Unit, but also Sabhara and others," he concluded.

Afif Maulana was found dead floating in the Batang Kuranji River, Padang, West Sumatra on June 9, 2024. When found, there were bruises on the victim's back and stomach.

From the investigation of the Padang legal aid agency and the testimony of witnesses at the location, Afif and several of his colleagues were accused of a brawl and were later subjected to many acts of torture by members of the Sabhara Polda West Sumatra.

In the previous report, June 30, the West Sumatra (West Sumatra) Police Chief Inspector General Suharyono confirmed the death of a junior high school student in Padang, Afif Maulana for jumping off a bridge. This is based on the results of his investigation.

Suharyono said that the conclusion was based on the statements of 49 witnesses examined by his party, the examination of the crime scene, and based on the results of the post-mortem and autopsy of the victim on behalf of Afif Maulana.

He said the 49 witnesses consisted of Sabhara personnel from the West Sumatra Police who carried out the task of preventing brawls at the time of the incident, public witnesses, and friends of the victim as key witnesses.

The key witness with the initials A was a friend who rode a motorcycle with the victim at the time of the incident on Sunday, June 9, A played the role of the person who was riding.

Right when he was on the Kuranji bridge, victim and witness A fell. The victim invited witness A to jump off the bridge but was rejected by A.

"Witness key A rejects the victim's invitation to jump off the bridge and prefers to surrender to the police, this is in accordance with witness A's statement," he said.

In addition, he continued, A also twice told the police that his friend jumped from a bridge which was 12 meters high.

The first was conveyed when he was secured by personnel Sabhara on the Kuranji Bridge, the second he conveyed when he had been collected at the Kuranji Sector Police Station (Polsek) along with other brawlers.

However, this information was ignored by personnel Sabhara because the police did not believe that anyone was desperate to jump from a height of approximately 12 meters, personnel also focused on securing other perpetrators and evidence of sharp weapons from the location.

"The testimony from witness A has denied the growing narrative that Afif died of abuse by the police and then dumped him under the Kuranji bridge, that's not true," he explained.

Suharyono emphasized that the information he conveyed was legal facts from examination of witness statements, not merely assumptions or accusations.

Based on the autopsy results, it was found that the victim suffered six ribs which then stabbed the lungs to death.

He said from the facts described above, his party drew the conclusion that the victim died after jumping himself off the bridge in order to avoid being chased by the police, so that there was no element of a criminal act there.

"That is a temporary conclusion from the results of our investigation, if there are parties who submit evidence and new evidence, we will accommodate and the investigation will be reopened," he said.