"LPSK is ready to help uncover information in the case by protecting several key witnesses, to enable them to convey significant accounts about the incident, which has attracted public attention," according to the agency's deputy chief, Edwin Partogi Pasaribu.
The agency has received a proposal for protecting six witnesses, and its personnel continue to review the proposal, he said, adding that there were likely several more witnesses who might have important information.
The outcomes of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM's) probe into this fatal shooting case, publicly announced on Friday, had triggered a possibility that the case could be resolved in court, he said.
The court settlement would enable the public to know who was responsible for the deaths of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) members, including four deaths categorized by the Komnas HAM as acts of "unlawful killing", he said.
Referring to the commission's reported investigation results, there were several witnesses who might have significant information about the incident, Pasaribu said.
During their investigation, the commission's team of investigators also received substantial accounts about the shootings from witnesses in the areas of Sentul, the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road KM 50's rest area, and Karawang.
Due to this, the LPSK plans to coordinate with the human rights commission to question several witnesses whose safety needs to be protected, he added.
Komnas HAM's team of investigators, who began their probe into the case on December 7, 2020, had publicly announced the final report of their investigation results on Friday.
The commission recommended that the recent fatal shooting case be tried transparently in a criminal court, since the deaths of four of the six slain FPI members were categorized as a violation of human rights.
"The (fatal shooting) case cannot be handled internally. Instead, it must be resolved through a law enforcement mechanism at a criminal court," the head of the commission's team of investigators, Choirul Anam, stated at a press conference.
The commission revealed that the deaths of four of the six slain guards of the group's leader, Habib Rizieq Shihab, during an encounter at KM 50 of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road on December 7, 2020, constituted a violation of human rights.
Anam contended that the fatal shooting of the four FPI members was considered as human rights violations since the on-duty police officers had allegedly gunned them down without acting to prevent fatalities.
Two other slain FPI members died as a result of their car being sideswiped by a police vehicle on the road and an exchange of fire between them and police, he remarked.
Komnas HAM had identified executors of the slain FPI members, Anam stated, adding that the commission had recommended a comprehensive investigation to be conducted on the FPI members' alleged possession of handguns.
The commission further concluded that 18 gunshot wounds were found on the bodies of the FPI members, including Muhammad Reza (20), Muhammad Suci Khadavi (21), Faiz Ahmad Syukur (22), Lutfi Hakim (25), Ahmad Sofiyan (26), and Andi Oktiawan (33).
On the day of the incident, the victims were securing a motorcade for the group's top leader, Habib Rizieq Shihab, from the Sentul area in Bogor District.
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(INE)
Translator: Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
