Ismira Lutfia
JAKARTA: A team of independent investigators from the Maluku Media Center claims to have found proof of police involvement in the suspected murder of a journalist in the Indonesian province.
Alfrets Mirulewan, editor-in-chief of local newspaper Pelangi Weekly, had been working on an investigative report on illegal gasoline trading on Kisar Island when he went missing in mid-December.
His body was found by locals at Wonreli beach on Dec. 17, marked with wounds and bruises.
Alfrets was accompanied to the island by colleague Leksi Kikilay from the Lensa Maluku tabloid, who has since faced four rounds of questioning from police as a witness in the case.
Insany Syahbarwaty, a coordinator from the Maluku Media Center, said the center's independent investigators have in their possession a recording extracted from Alfrets's mobile phone.
She said the content of the recording was an argument between Alfrets and a security guard at the Pantai Nama Port, where illegal gasoline supplies were supposedly being loaded for shipping.
According to Insany, the recording reveals that in the heat of the argument, the security guard let slip that a port security police unit (KP3) member was the owner of the illegal gasoline supply.
Insany said the center has also obtained photographs of Alfrets's body, taken shortly after he was found dead and before the autopsy had been conducted, showing bruises on his face and scratch wounds on his knees.
"It is evident that there were marks of abuse on his body," she said, contrary to a police statement that the autopsy found no signs of assault and that the death appeared to be accidental.
Once discovered, Alfrets's body was taken immediately to a community health center on the island for autopsy, but Insany said she doubted
the results were reliable. She urged police to repeat the autopsy.
"We can't be sure whether the community health center was independent in conducting the autopsy and we also doubt their competence in
conducting the postmortem," she said.
The press community in the province has also demanded that the National Police send a forensic team to further investigate the case.
Insany agreed, saying she doubted the Maluku police chief's credibility in probing Alfrets's death.
Maluku Police Chief Brig. Gen. Syarif Gunawan was not available for comment on Wednesday.
The Media Center's investigation results, following a 10-day probe of the case on the island, will be forwarded to the Press Council for
further processing.
Advocates from the Legal Aid Center for the Press (LBH Pers) will assist Leksi and another colleague in facing police questioning, Insany
said.
Alfrets's death has also drawn the attention of the international press community, with global press watchdog Reporters Without Borders issuing a statement on Tuesday saying that Alfrets's family and colleagues have the organisation's full support.
"We also note that, after an initially botched investigation, the authorities have taken the necessary steps to ensure that no hypotheses are ruled out, including the possibility that the murder was linked to the victim's work as a journalist," the Reporters Without Borders statement read.
The organisation has urged the central government to take any steps necessary to protect witnesses to the case who are liable to be threatened for cooperating with investigators. - Jakarta Globe/Pacific Media Watch
Ismira Lutfia
