At around 7.30pm, on Thursday 6 July, a
group of four policemen from the elite force Brimob, Papua District, stopped
the car in which the chairman of the Baptist Synod, Socrates Sofian Yoman was
travelling, together with his wife and their three children, along with Matius
Murib, the former deputy chairman of Komnas HAM-Papua. They were on their way
home after attending prayers at Kota Raja Luar.The car door was forced open by
someone, and another member of Brimob shone a torch in the face of Revd Yoman.
Matius Murib said: 'Why have you stopped here? Who
are you? Who are you working for? If you aren't happy about the police, dont
behave like this.'
Murib later told the media that apparently they
had been followed since they were driving past the town library. The police who
had been travelling in a truck pointed their torch at Yoman.
In response to this unacceptable behaviour, he
said: 'I'm sorry. It wasn't deliberate.' But within five minutes, the
police started pushing the body of this man who is a well-known church
leader, while shouting at him.
Matius Murib thought that the police
didn't realise that they were talking to the President of the Synod of
the Baptist Church, Revd Socrares Sofian Yoman.
At this point, a senior police officer arrived at
the scene to caution the police who were terrorising the President of the
Synod. They subsequently withdrew and returned to their barracks.
Matius said that this incident would be reported
to the deputy police chief in Papua.'Go ahead and report. We aren't afraid '
the four policemen replied. They then withdrew from the scene and
left, going in the direction of the police command office in Abepura.
Matius Murib said that he hoped that the
chief of police would investigate this case and call to account the four police
officers who had behaved so arrogantly towards a well known leader of the
Papuan people. The action they had taken was a deliberate act of provocation
intended to arouse the feelings of the Papuan people.
'We call for an end to such acts of terror and
violence perpetrated against the indigenous Papuan people.The Papuan people
will continue to press for peaceful dialogue between Jakarta and Papua.'
Matius Murib, Director
[Translated by TAPOL]