Obstacles In Investigating Human Confinement In Langkat Regent's House: Fear To Make Voices

JAKARTA - The National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) stated that the investigation process at the non-active Langkat Regent's house, Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin, is not slow but hampered. There were a number of obstacles experienced in this process, including the fear of the parties concerned to speak up.

Komnas HAM Commissioner Choirul Anam denied that the investigation into the alleged violence against the occupants of the human cage at Terbit's house was proceeding slowly. Moreover, so far the coordination between his party and the police has actually been quite fast.

"I don't think it's slow (the process, ed). If you look at the coordination and communication between the police and Komnas HAM, it's not slow," said Anam on the Indonesian Human Rights Commission's Public Relations YouTube, Thursday, March 3.

At least, there were two obstacles found by Komnas HAM and the police. The first, said Anam, is the many testimonies and details that must be found considering the existence of the so-called training location that has existed from 2010 to 2022.

"Then the second thing that makes it difficult, I think Komnas HAM is experiencing, friends of the police also experience the obstacle of being afraid to speak up," he said.

Anam said Komnas HAM could actually release their final report as soon as possible. However, there is some information that is still being sought from witnesses who were initially reluctant to speak.

"We could have finished last mid-February, we are ready to complete the final report. But gradually, some witness statements that were difficult for us to get at first then spoke, finally (we were delayed, ed)," said Anam.

"This obstacle is actually strong, so we recommend it to friends from the LPSK (Witness and Victim Protection Agency) who concentrate on this case to provide protection," he added.

Looking again at the findings of Komnas HAM

At least there were a number of findings submitted by Komnas HAM regarding the existence of human cages after the team went directly to Langkat, North Sumatra. One of them is the involvement of TNI-Polri elements.

When presenting the results of its investigation, Komnas HAM stated that it had pocketed the identity of the individual. Their names and ranks are known, including the number of those involved.

"There were findings regarding the knowledge and involvement of individual members of the TNI-Polri. So we received information that several members of the TNI-Polri were involved in the caging process. We know the number and names of each and other supporting information, including rank and so on," Anam said in a press conference on Wednesday, March 2.

He said these individuals had committed acts of violence and degrading human dignity. In carrying out these actions, these TNI-Polri individuals referred to their actions as a form of physical exercise.

"So there are elements involved here in this cage process, there is TNI personnel and there are police officers. So if you say, for example, physical training, continue to share about the methodology of physical exercise, including hanging monkeys, for example. The next one was an individual member of the TNI who also committed violence. We get that information," he explained.

Not only that, Komnas HAM revealed that there had been several patterns of violence in the so-called rehabilitation camps, such as the forced pick-up of prospective occupants to violence committed if they went against or violated the rules of the cage management and published.

In addition, there was bullying perpetrated by the occupants of the cage who had been there longer. Analysis of Yasdad Al Farisi's Human Rights Violations then detailed that there were 26 forms of torture from the perpetrators.

"They were beaten in the ribs, head, face, jaw, lips, slapped, kicked, thrown into a fish pond, soaked, ordered to hang in cages like monkeys or hang monkeys," he said.

In addition, the new residents are also often whipped with a hose, their eyes are taped, their feet are beaten with hammers or hammers until their nails fall off, forced to sleep on leaves or itchy caterpillars, forced to eat chili peppers, and other acts of violence that were not further specified.

"There are at least 18 tools used in this act of violence, including hoses, chili peppers, itchy caterpillars, leaves, hot iron, candles, lime, salt, melted plastic, hammers, or hammers, cigarettes, matches, pliers, bricks, and other stun tools. Then there are cages and also a pond," explained Yasdad.

As a result of this violence, the occupants then suffered not only physical injuries but also trauma. In fact, there was a resident who attempted suicide because he couldn't stand it.

"Besides the physical suffering, there is a traumatic impact due to violence. One of them is that a prison inmate attempted to commit suicide," said Yasdad.

In addition, the claim that these human cages were used as a place for coaching and rehabilitating drug users was also refuted by the findings of Komnas HAM.

The Coordinator for Monitoring and Investigation of the National Human Rights Commission, Endang Sri Melani, revealed that no drug dependence treatment was found for the occupants of the human cage at the Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin's house.

"There was no material or drug dependence rehabilitation treatment found for the inmates of the cage, including the handling or treatment of drug users," said Endang, Wednesday, March 2.

Endang said the residents were actually employed not only in the factory owned by Terbit and his family or in the oil palm plantation but as parking attendants, cleaning the factory, transporting palm fruit, and other jobs.

"Even the residents are also used as construction workers to build houses belonging to Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin, including burrowing the land around the cage location," he said.

Even though they have done this work, the residents do not get any wages. They also did not want to refuse for fear of violence from the cage management.

Furthermore, Komnas HAM revealed that the residents did receive health services from the local health center where the head of the health facility was still from the Terbit's family. The complaints submitted were itching, colds, dizziness, ulcers, and also difficulty sleeping which were then given generic drugs.

"Regarding access to health services, we found that there are indeed health services carried out by the Public Health Service periodically one to two times a week," said Endang.

Actually, from this examination, health workers often find wounds on the occupants' body parts. However, out of fear, they often cover it up for other reasons.

"They admitted that only the injuries were caused by a fall or by scrapings due to a cold," she concluded.