http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/11/30/police-accused-abuse-indonesia039s-papua.html
Police accused of abuse in Indonesia's Papua Associated Press , Jakarta | Mon, 11/30/2009 8:45 PM | National Human rights group Amnesty International urged authorities Monday to investigate allegations of police killings and abuses in Indonesia's restive Papua province. The London-based organization released an open letter to the newly installed Papuan police chief, Insp. Gen. Bekto Supraptoon, on the eve of a key anniversary for the remote province's independence movement. Amnesty alleged that police officers killed two men and beat dozens of demonstrators in custody since late last year. Indonesian authorities - wary of secessionists - have cracked down on separatist protesters in the poor eastern province, where there is a small but resilient independence movement. Foreign journalists are barred from traveling to Papua. Amnesty called for a probe into "a pattern of unchecked human rights violations by police" in the Nabire district of the province over the past year. "Fair and prompt investigations are an essential first step toward combating impunity for police abuse," Amnesty said. "Acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment should be prohibited at all times." The group said investigation results should be made public. Papua police spokesman Lt. Col. Agus Rianto said he wanted to read the letter and details of the alleged abuses before commenting. He said police are on alert for more protests Tuesday, the 48th anniversary of separatists claiming independence from Dutch colonial rule. Papua was never granted independence and was annexed by Indonesia in 1963. Activists say more than 170 people are jailed in Indonesia for peaceful political expression, mostly in Papua and the province of Maluku, where there is also a separatist movement. Earlier this month, three men were imprisoned for up to three years for raising a banned separatist flag in Papua. Another two men face up to 12 years in prison on similar charges. New York-based Human Rights Watch has called for their release, saying imprisoning peaceful protesters undermines the country's democratic values. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
