Rohingyas’ lawyers barred from homicide reenactment
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| The first punch: A number of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar take part in a reenactment of an incident that occurred on April 5, that left eight Buddhist Myanmar fishermen dead, at the Belawan Immigration Detention Center, North Sumatra. The reenactment took place at the Belawan Port Police precinct. (Antara/Septianda Perdana) |
Apriadi Gunawan
April 24, 2013
The National Police prohibited lawyers representing Myanmar Muslim Rohingya refugees from accompanying their clients during a reenactment of a homicide in Belawan in which eight Buddhist Myanmar citizens were killed on Tuesday.
Members of the legal team from the North Sumatra Legal and Human Rights Advocacy (PAHAM) and the Muslim Lawyers Team (TPM) were turned away by police officers guarding the scene of the reenactment at the Belawan Port Police station, despite the fact that the legal team, led by PAHAM director Dodi Chandra, presented a letter of appointment signed by the suspects.
“We showed the letter of appointment but we were still forced to leave by the police. We were not allowed to represent our clients, who were carrying out the reenactment,” Dodi told The Jakarta Post after failing to meet his clients on Tuesday.
Dodi said they had been waiting for the police’s permission to accompany their clients in the reenactment from 9 a.m. but had been turned away. He said it was a rights violation because every suspect had a right to legal representation.
”What’s wrong with this? Why are the police so secretive in the reenactment involving our clients? We believe the police are hiding something,” said Dodi, who plans to report the matter to the National Police and North Sumatra Police chiefs.
Seventeen refugees who have been named suspects took part in the reenactment, which was heavily guarded. When contacted for confirmation, Belawan Port Police deputy chief Comr. Robertus Pandiangan denied preventing the lawyers from attending the reenactment.
He said only the 17 suspects attended so that they could calmly reenact the events of the April 5 clash.
”We reenacted 27 scenes today [Tuesday] from the clash until after,” Robertus said, adding that the outcome of the reenactment would be submitted to the prosecutor’s office.
He added that based on the reenactment, the clash between the Muslim refugees and the Buddhist fishermen was sparked by sexual harassment of women refugees by the fishermen.
Robertus said the crime was not premeditated.
