Jayapura, Jubi – The families of Mimika murder victims told the Papua Legislative Council (DPRP) team who visited Timika last week, that the DPRP should oversee the resolution of the murder case. On August 22, 2022, six Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers and four civilians allegedly killed and mutilated four Nduga residents in Mimika Regency.
The DPRD team consisted of Commission III member Yakoba Lokbere, deputy chair of the Special Group and Commission I member Laurenzus Kadepa from the NasDem faction, Las Nirigi from the Gerindra faction, and Commission V member Namantus Gwijangge from the NasDem faction.
Laurenzus Kadepa said the victims’ families wanted the DPRD to encourage the legal process of the murder case to ensure the perpetrators were prosecuted transparently. The DPRP, according to the families, must also ensure that the perpetrators receive maximum punishments to give a deterrent effect and provide a sense of justice for the families of the victims.
“In addition, the families of the victims want the Papua Legislative Council to push to the government an evaluation of its security approach in solving Papua problems, as seen in more deployment of troops by the TNI. The security approach is deemed violent and the people want a more humane approach through withdrawal of excessive organic and non-organic troops from conflict areas in Papua,” said Kadepa when contacting Jubi on Tuesday, August 6, 2022.
The victims’ families argued that the DPRP must also evaluate the police performance in maintaining public security in Papua.
Furthermore, the families asked the DPRP to encourage the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to form an investigation team into the Mimika murder so that the case could be resolved through the Human Rights Court.
Laurenzus Kadepa said that while in Mimika from August 31 to September 4, his party heard firsthand the chronology of the murder from the victims’ families and saw the bodies in the hospital.
The DPRP has facilitated the families to meet with legal counsel to assist them in the legal process. He said there were 24 lawyers from six rights NGOs who are members of the Coalition for Law Enforcement and Human Rights.
“We also met the Leaders Coordination Forum of Nduga Regency, Acting Regent of Nduga, Nduga Military District commander, and Nduga Police chief, as well as community leaders in Mimika Regency,” he said.
He added that the Papua Legislative Council also facilitated the families of victims and their legal counsel to meet the National Police Supervisory Commission (Kompolnas) in Timika. (*)
