Case Of Torture Of Prisoners In Yoygakarta Narcotics Prison, Menkumham Yasonna Asked To Intervene

Komnas HAM Commissioner Mohammad Choirul Anam. ANTARA/Muhammad Zulfikar

JAKARTA - The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) asked the Minister of Law and Human Rights (Menkumham) Yasonna Laoly to examine officers who carried out or knew about torture, violence and degrading treatment of prisoners at the Class II Narcotics Prison in Yogyakarta.

"This includes prison guards, prison main gate guards (P2U), former prison heads and former KPLP heads for the 2020 period and other parties," said Komnas HAM Commissioner Mohammad Choirul Anam in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Monday, March 7.

If a violation of the law is found, he said, strict law enforcement must be carried out. This is in order to create conducive conditions for the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights, as well as to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in all prisons in Indonesia.

The Minister of Law and Human Rights, said Anam, must also ensure that there is no more circulation of narcotics, cell phones, illegal levies and extortion in the prison environment. However, efforts or implementation must respect human rights, and not use authority excessively.

In this case, Komnas HAM is of the view that strengthening technology and resources is important for all carrying out tasks in prisons, including the procurement of detection devices for smuggling of goods that are prohibited from entering prisons.

Including the procurement of surveillance cameras or (CCTV) as many as possible at various points with a record that it does not violate the privacy rights of the inmates inside the block, and the development of human resources through education and training.

"It is important for prison officers to immediately do this, especially with regard to understanding human rights in carrying out their duties and functions of correctional development," he said.

Not only that, Komnas HAM also recommended the Menkumham about the importance of continuous monitoring and evaluation. The aim is that correctional development and narcotics eradication run optimally and there will be no more acts of torture.

Especially for the incident at the Class II Narcotics Prison in Yogyakarta, efforts to recover physically and psychologically from torture victims who have experienced trauma and physical injuries must be carried out as soon as possible.

Finally, ensuring the implementation of standard operating procedures, including leave and parole procedures, can be accessed easily in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.

"It must also be ensured that prisoners in custody receive different treatment from other prisoners as well as legal protection as their non-convict status," added Anam.