Kontras Identifies 373 Victims of Police Abuse

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Of 85 cases of alleged maltreatment by the police, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has identified 373 victims since June 2010.

â??There are probably more because we couldnâ??t monitor it massively,â? said Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar in Jakarta yesterday.

The Kontras finding was released just before the 65th anniversary of the police force which falls on July 1. In light of the finding, Kontras questioned the policeâ??s commitment to reinforcing human rights.

Haris said Kontras had determined that the police had allegedly tortured and arrested civilians. Furthermore, he said, people were maltreated when the police handled land and capital conflicts and terrorism cases.

The police claim it has not received the Kontras report. National Police chief in charge of Information, Comm. Boy Rafli Amar, said he often received complaints from the Indonesian Ombudsman, the National Police Commission and the National Commission for Human Rights.

â??We must know for sure when and where it happened and who did it,â? said Boy yesterday. â??When we find the problem, we will explain it,â? he added.