Indonesian police apologise after terrorising suspected thief with snake
Police justify actions by saying they did not beat the man and the snake was not venomous
Associated Press
Sun 10 Feb 2019 19.47 EST
Indonesian police have acknowledged officers terrorised a Papuan man with a snake after a video of the incident circulated online showing the man screaming in fear while his interrogator laughed.
Police in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region apologised but also attempted to justify the officers’ actions by saying the snake was not venomous and that they hadn’t resorted to beating the man, who was suspected of theft.
Human rights lawyer Veronica Koman – who circulated the upsetting video – said on Sunday the interrogation methods were torture and violated police policies as well as several laws. She said it was only the latest of several reports of police and military officials using snakes to terrorise Papuan detainees and symptomatic of a culture of racism against indigenous Papuans.
Sam Lokon, a member of the West Papua National Committee, which advocates for independence from Indonesia, was put in a cell with a snake and also beaten after being arrested in January, Koman said.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/11/indonesian-police-apologise-after-terrorising-suspected-thief-with-snake
