Gunshot Wound Victim Dies In Abepura

Gunshot Wound Victim Dies In Abepura

Erik Logo who sustained a gunshot wound from the security forces in Abepura on 9 April died in Dock II Hospital on 22 April.

While he was in hospital, the police kept constant watch at the hospital and refused to allow anyone to visit him, because they said that he was a key witness regarding the incident on 9 April.

When a monitoring team from the Civil Society Coalition for Justice and Peace in the Land of Papua went to the hospital hoping to see the body of the victim in the morgue, they were refused access by a police intel officer who said that they were not allowed in because they were not related to the victim. When the visitors explained that they had been asked by the church to visit the victim, a police officer said: 'Dont use the name of the church to defend criminals who want to disrupt the situation in Papua.'

There were many armed police officers guarding the hospital.

The fatally wounded man was not visited by any relatives while being treated in the hospital.

Erik Logo was shot at the Abepura roundabout, just 70 metres from the police station in Abepura at 1.00 pm. Witnesses say that he was arrested together with friends who were herded onto a police truck at about 6.00 pm. They could see that his abdomen had been torn open and he was holding his stomach with both hands when he was rushed to the police station. He was later taken to hospital, where he later died.

Brimob forced me to drink victim's blood, says arrested Papua

Two students who were arrested at the Students Hostel on 9 April were released on 11 April.

Lauren Kogoya's account

He says that on 8 April, he organised a stone-burning event, a Papuan tradition, in support of the candidacy of Diaz Gwijangge who is standing in the legislative election. This went on till late afternoon. He later went to sleep at the student hostel and was woken up at 1.00am the next day by a friend saying that the police had come and he should run away. But when he went out of the hostel he saw no-one so he went back to sleep, but soon after he heard many gunshots, so ran out. As he was running, three police men started firing at him but fortunately they missed.

As he was running in the direction of a group of houses, he was surrounded by several policemen. Some people came out of the houses to help him. Then a Brimob came and struck him on the back of his head with the rifle and hit his upper lip and cheek. The Brimob fellow also took his wallet which contained Rp. 150,000. and his identity card.

He was then told to get on a police truck where he met three others who had also be shot. One was holding his stomach which had been hit.

Soon after, a Brimob grabbed him and ordered him to lick the blood of another man who had been wounded in the hand. When he refused, the Brimob said that he would shoot him if he failed to lick the blood. Afraid of what would happen to him, he then licked up the blood as he had been told to do.

The police then took him to their headquarters for interrogation. They found nothing to incriminate him so he was released two days later.

Selia Gwijangge's account

At six in the morning (on 9 April), he woke up to the sound of gunfire. Then a Brimob aimed at him from a distance of 6 meters. Fortunately, he was not hit; the bullet ricocheted off a nearby wall.

The commander of the Brimob unit saw what was happening and told his colleague, ''Dont shoot upwards but shoot at his feet." He was then ordered to get down on his haunches, holding his arms up and leave the hostel. The Brimob then kicked him hard four times and struck him with his fist. Two of his toes were wounded and are still painful.

He was then driven to the police headquarters in Jayapura and on the way, he was ordered to lie on the floor, face down, with his eyes closed.

During interrogation, he was asked where he had put the arrows and bombs which were to be used to make an assault on the police office. After insisting that he knew nothing about any arrows or bombs, he was released two days later.

ENDS

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