Komnas HAM Disappointed by TPF Findings

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The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has said it will ask the fact-finding team (TPF) of the acid attack on Novel Baswedan to explain its findings. Meanwhile, the National Police’s technical team is to begin its investigation next week.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has expressed its disappointment at the findings of the fact-finding team (TPF) that was tasked with investigate the acid attack on Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) senior investigator Novel Baswedan. Komnas HAM had made the recommendation to form the TPF, so it planned to request clarification from the team.

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian formed the TPF in response to a recommendation Komnas HAM made in December 2018. Komnas HAM had asked the National Police to form a joint team of internal and external police elements to uncover the facts of the assault.
However, after investigating the case for six months from 8 Jan. to 7 July 2019, the TPF was unable to determine the motives or identify the perpetrators in the case. The team merely suggested a connection between the assault and the cases Novel was working on at the KPK. These include the corruption case involving former Buol regent Amran Batalipu in Central Sulawesi, the e-ID card procurement case, the corruption case involving former Constitutional Court (MK) chief justice Akil Mochtar, the Asian Games Athletes’ Village corruption case, and the corruption case involving former Supreme Court secretary-general Nurhadi. The acid attack was also believed connected to Novel’s role in the 2004 case over swallows’ nest thieves in Bengkulu.
In Jakarta on Thursday (18/7/2019), Komnas HAM commissioner Choirul Anam expressed his disbelief and regret over the results of the TPF investigation, which was announced on Wednesday. He said the commission would ask the TPF for clarification.
“If the team has concluded that the attack on Novel might be linked to the cases he was working on, this must be followed up, because this means that the perpetrators were close [to Novel]. However, the TPF did not mention any perpetrators and instead put the blame on Novel,” said Choirul.
He continued that the TPF should provide the public with a clear explanation for its findings in the assault case.
TPF expert member Hendardi said that he was prepared to provide clarification to Komnas HAM. “We will explain when we meet later. We can still be invited [as the TPF] even though the team has been disbanded,” he said.
Next steps
KPK chair Agus Rahardjo said that he had yet to read the report on the TPF’s findings. He said he would discuss the report with other KPK leaders after he had read it.
“We will discuss the next steps for pushing a resolution to this case. We had hoped that the TPF would be able to identify the perpetrators. It has turned out that we are still in the dark,” said Agus.
After reviewing the TPF’s work, professor Azyumardi Azra of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University said that it was time for President Joko Widodo to form an independent, joint fact-finding team (TGPF) to investigate the Novel case. The team should be comprised of police officers, KPK officials, human rights activists and civil society figures. He also pointed out that many academics could be appointed to the team.
Muhammadiyah executive Busyro Muqoddas said that the President should form an independent TGPF to indicate his seriousness about resolving the Novel case.
Busyro expressed his hope that an independent third party would appoint civil society figures with excellent track records in human rights and anticorruption to the TGPF. “The Palace should not select these civil society figures. Leave that to us [as] a sign of respect for civil society,” he said.
KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO
Nur Kholis, the spokesman of the National Police’s fact-finding team (TPF) assigned to investigate the acid attack on Novel Baswedan, briefs reporters about the team’s findings on Wednesday (17/7/2019) at the National Police Headquarters in Jakarta. Nur said that the TPF had discovered three unknown individuals that might be connected to the attack on the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) senior investigator, and recommended that the National Police chief form a technical field team to follow up on its findings.
Commitment
National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Asep Adi Saputra said the police was committed to solving the acid attack on Novel. The National Police technical team, which had been formed upon the TPF’s recommendation, would begin its work next week.
The technical team, to be led by National Police criminal investigation head Comr. Gen. Idham Azis, would follow up on all recommendations from the TPF. To ensure its effectiveness, the technical team would have the assistance of police officers with certain technical skills in areas such as forensic science, medicine and Inafis (Indonesia Automatic Fingerprint Identification System).
The technical team would investigate the case for six months with a deadline in January 2020. (IAN/NCA/SAN)

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kpk Corruption Eradication Commission Komnas HAM kompascetak national commission on human rights