Attempts to silence victims is deemed as a criminal act according to the Law on Witness and Victim ProtectionJakarta (ANTARA) - Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) official warned suspects implicated in the Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin's human cage case in Langkat, North Sumatra, to not coax victims to dissuade them from testifying in their case.
"Attempts to silence victims is deemed as a criminal act according to the Law on Witness and Victim Protection," LPSK Deputy Head Antonius P.S. Wibowo noted in his statement on Tuesday.
The deputy head also warned victims against providing false testimony, as it also constitutes a criminal act.
The agency has received reports of several attempts made by suspects and their relatives to woo human cage victims and dissuade them from testifying in their case in front of law enforcers, he noted.
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Suspects and their relatives, upon learning that some victims are in debt, attempted to pay their debt or offered a large sum of money and new cars to persuade them from not testifying in the case, Wibowo pointed out.
He added that some other suspects' relatives also attempted to persuade the victims' families, lovers, and members of a local organisation and local authority to approach the victims.
"They attempt to coax victims to side with the suspects," the agency deputy head stated.
Wibowo noted that on Thursday (Apr 18), some people suspected of being related to the suspects visited the in-law of a witness to persuade the witness to not give a testimony. A large sum of money and a new car had also been offered by the group, he added.
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In another case, a family protected by the agency was visited by a local government official that offered millions of rupiah for protection from being implicated in the human cage case, the agency deputy head noted.
"A local government official has used influence to persuade the aunt of a protected individual, who is working as a Langkat District government employee," Wibowo remarked.
Apart from offering money and new cars, relatives of the suspects also presented false information about LPSK to the victims and their relatives, he stated.
The agency deputy head then expressed optimism that the police would arrest more suspects involved in the human cage case.
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Translator: M Zulfikar, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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