Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Coalition of Law Enforcement and Human Rights on Friday, December 23, 2022, announced the results of its investigation into the shooting of a number of civilians in Mappi Regency, South Papua Province, on December 14. The coalition disputed the police’s version that the shooting occurred because security forces were attacked while breaking up clashes between residents.
Helmi, a member of the Coalition, said his party conducted an investigation from December 17 to 20. The conclusion was no clashes between residents occurred before the shooting.
The Coalition’s findings differed from the information conveyed by the Liaison Officer of the South Papua Police, Sr. Comr. Erick K Sully, who said the shooting was triggered by an attack on security forces who broke up a clash between two groups of residents under the influence of alcoholic beverages.
The Coalition suspected it was military brutality that resulted in nine civilians being shot. The Coalition said that on December 14, a resident stabbed another resident named Martinus. A group of residents protested the arrest of the resident who allegedly carried out the stabbing. That group indeed attacked the police car. However, after that, the residents dispersed and left Emete Junction.
The Coalition concluded that the time of the shooting was also different from the time of the assault on the police car. According to the Coalition, the shooting took place at 6 p.m. Papua time, in the vicinity of the Indonesian Military (TNI) post in Kepi and Mappi Vocational School 1, which was about 500 m away from Emete Junction.
Although he confirmed that there was a stabbing incident on December 14 at 4 p.m., Helmi emphasized that no clashes between residents occurred after the stabbing. “Police’s information states that the authorities shot the victim when they try to separate a clash is not true,” Helmi told Jubi on Friday afternoon.
The Coalition said a group of residents stoned the TNI post but only after they heard gunshots from the direction of the post. One of the shooting victims, Moses Erro, died of a severe gunshot wound to his right upper inner thigh, from the groin to the knee. Erro also did not receive proper medical treatment. The Coalition considered that the shot to Moses Erro’s upper thigh was not a paralyzing kind as it caused Erro’s severe injury and death.
Urge Komnas HAM to intervene
In a written statement, the Coalition urged the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) to investigate the shooting of Mappi civilians. Komnas HAM RI was also asked to investigate the alleged involvement of TNI and police in the shooting.
The Coalition also suggested that peace efforts made between the victims of the stabbing and the perpetrators be separated from the investigation of the shooting of nine civilians as the two are different cases.
The Coalition urged that the legal process related to Mappi shooting must be carried out professionally in order to ensure a fair trial against the perpetrator and prevent impunity. They hoped that any assistance provided to the shooting victims was not a strategy to silence the victims who demand justice.
Jubi has attempted to contact the spokesperson of Papua Police, Sr. Comr. Ahmad Mustofa Kamal via WhatsApp on Friday to respond to the results of the Papua Coalition of Law Enforcement and Human Rights’ investigation. However, until this news was published, Jubi’s request had not been responded to. (*)
