Police officer allegedly tortures teacher in Merauke

On 7 March 2023, a member of the Jagebob Sub-district police reportedly tortured Mr Awang Kristian Irawan (see photo on top, source: Jubi), a teacher at SD Inpres Jagebob 6 in the village of Jagebob Raya, Merauke Regency, Papua Selatan Province. The officer with the initials M. fired three shots into the ground while threatening to kill Mr Irawan. Awang was detained at the Jagebob Police Station, where he was allegedly beaten, kicked, and threatened with a gun by the police officer. Mr Irawan stated that he fears returning to Jagebob and wants to take legal action against the perpetrator.

Awang’s fellow teacher, Herman Kodaip, witnessed the police violence. Mr Awang filed a complaint regarding the torture to the Merauke District Police (Polres Merauke). The case is currently under investigation. According to the Merauke Police Chief, Commissioner Sandi Sultan, three police officers have been questioned by members of the Profession and Security Division (Propam) Unit in Merauke.

The incident was related to a cattle trading case that Awang was involved in. He was summoned by the police and questioned after another resident filed a report claiming that the cow was stolen from them. The police report was later withdrawn, and the matter was resolved.

Detailed Case Data
name of the location: Jagebob Sub-district Police Station (-8.05268090650283, 140.75629013632994)  administrative region: Indonesia, Papua Selatan Province, Merauke Regency, Jagebob District, Jagebob Raya Village
total number of victims: 1
period of incident: 07.03.2023
perpetrator: police
perpetrator details: Officer M from the Jagebob Sub-district Police
Issues: torture, ill-treatment, indigenous, arbitrary detention
Sources: 
Further HRM News:

NumberName, DetailsGenderAgeGroup AffiliationViolation
1Awang Kristian Irawan , teachermaleunknownindigenousill-treatment, torture