By Hayley J. Campbell
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Oceania

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Amnesty International is reporting that Indonesian police regularly torture and abuse suspects held for questioning, in addition to taking bribes in the form of money and sex.

Amnesty International’s report entitled, “Unfinished Business: Police Accountability in Indonesia,” found that the most marginalized people in Indonesian society receive the worst treatment.

The organization’s Asia Pacific deputy director, Donna Guest said that, “Amnesty International’s report shows how widespread the culture of abuse is among the Indonesian police force.” She added, “The police’s primary role is to enforce the law and protect human rights, yet all too often many police officers behave as if they are above the law.”

Rebecca Emery, deputy director for Amnesty International, says that some of these marginalized people are from the Papua region. Papuans have long reported abuse by Indonesian police, and have struggled to gain independence from Indonesia.

“Since the national Indonesian police separated from the military in 1999, it has undertaken significant reforms, even though these reforms have been undertaken, the actual practice with regards to policing haven’t reflected human rights improvements. There’re a lot of violations and abuses, which are still deeply rooted in Indonesian policing,” Ms. Emery said.

The most vulnerable groups include women, drug addicts, and sex workers.

Ms. Emery added that the Indonesian government must recognize these human rights violations and work to stop them.

For more information, please see:
Radio New Zealand International – Amnesty reports serious abuse by Indonesian police – 25 June 2009

BBC News – Indonesia police abuse ‘ongoing’ – 24 June 2009

AFP – Torture ‘widespread’ in Indonesia: Amnesty – 24 June 2009