Indonesian police to investigate deaths of two children in police custody

Indonesian police to investigate deaths of two children in police custody

2012-01-08 03:20:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesian police are investigating the deaths last week of two young brothers inside a police prison in the province of West Sumatra, the Jakarta Globe reported on Saturday.

Local police officials initially claimed that the two boys, 14-year-old Faisal and 17-year-old Busri, hanged themselves in their prison cell. "A forensic examination has been conducted but I have not received the report yet," police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said.

"Nine officers who were on duty [at the time of the deaths] are being questioned by an internal team," he added, as quoted by the Jakarta Globe.

The boys' parents were notified on December 28 by the village administration office that their sons had died in police custody. Roni Saputra from Padang Legal Aid Institute (LBH), who is representing the family, said officers asked the parents to sign a statement saying that they would not sue the police for anything that happened.

Both parents, who are illiterate, obligingly signed the letter. Police immediately sent the bodies, which showed signs of torture, to the parents' house.



"First, Busri's arm was swollen, as if his bones were broken, there was a big gash on his left leg, as if someone sliced it open. [The boys'] thighs have marks similar to electrocution, their toes were smashed and their skulls were soft," Roni said, adding that fresh blood was still flowing from Faisal's nose.



"The only mark that is consistent with the police's claim was that the skin around their neck was chafed," Roni added. 



The parents went back to the police precinct with a number of other villagers and demanded an autopsy. As of Saturday, the family is still waiting for the result of the investigation.



Faisal was arrested on December 21 for stealing from a charity box at a mosque, while Busri was arrested five days later for stealing a motorcycle.

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