12 Oct 2006

Indonesia's human rights commission to examine report into allegations of torture

8:12 am on 12 October 2006

Indonesia's human rights commission KOMNAS is to examine a church report into the alleged torture of suspects arrested in Papua earlier this year.

Twenty-four Papuan students have been jailed for between four and 15 years each after a protest in March against a mine run by a local subsidiary of US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan.

Five security officers and a civilian were killed when the protest turned violent.

The 150-page report, which cites evidence of human rights violations by security personnel after the clash, has been filed by the Association of Churches in Papua.

One of the signatories of the report, the Reverend Herman Saud of the Christian Church in Papua, says they are circulating the report to Papua's Governor in the hope that he will take up the human rights issue with the Indonesian military.

The report demands that police guarantee the safe return of students who have fled the Papuan capital of Jayapura or Papua itself after the incident, fearing police retribution.