PRD activists tortured

PRD activists tortured

By James Balowski

On June 26, SiaR magazine reported that two People's Democratic Party (PRD) activists, Coen Husein Pontoh and Mohammad Sholeh, had been tortured following the June 11 riot at the Medaeng prison in Surabaya, East Java.

Along with Dita Indah Sari, chair of the Centre for Labour Struggles (PPBI), the three were jailed together after being found guilty of subversion last year. Around 500 inmates took control of the prison for most of the night. As a result of the damage all of the prisoners have been transferred.

The report was later confirmed in a chronology by Pontoh sent to Green Left Weekly by the PRD. In the chronology, Pontoh described how together with Sholeh, after the authorities had regained control, the prisoners were forced to squat and "walk like ducks" past rows of troops, during which Pontoh was beaten and kicked until he was almost unconscious.

Both were then interrogated by Lieutenant Budi Utomo from the intelligence body Bakorstanas, who had been involved in the search and capture of PRD members in Surabaya following riots in Jakarta last July 27.

Utomo accused them of being the masterminds behind the prison riot, saying that the unrest had started only after they arrived. A smaller riot had erupted on May 25. While they were being interrogated, other non-political prisoners were also beaten and kicked.

Following the interrogation, a second officer arrived and, without warning, began kicking both in the head and chest. They were then handcuffed and taken away in a truck.

When they were ordered out of the truck, police with rotan sticks again beat them indiscriminately. Several days after the incident, both were still severely bruised, and Pontoh may be suffering a broken cheekbone.

Despite the accusations and continued investigations, the authorities have failed to find any evidence of their involvement in the riot. There have been no reports of Dita Sari being tortured.

From GLW issue 281