A spate of violent muggings by machete-wielding thieves in Indonesia has drawn coded calls from prominent politicians for them to be killed-on-sight by police, in comments condemned by rights groups as condoning extrajudicial murders.
Last month, police in the northern Sumatran city of Medan shot dead a “begal” – a term used to describe a type of street thief known for their brutality – as part of what the force said was a bid to “eradicate” them.
Bobby Nasution, Medan mayor and President Joko Widodo’s son-in-law, lauded the officers involved, saying such criminals should be shot dead on the spot.
“I appreciate this because begal and criminals have no place in Medan,” he wrote in an Instagram post on July 9, sharing footage of the suspect’s dead body.
President Widodo has not commented on Nasution’s statements. Other leaders, including the governor of North Sumatra province, have supported the comments.
Rights groups want an investigation into the killing and have condemned the rhetoric as giving officers and citizens the right to take the law into their own hands.
“It is inappropriate for public officials to declare support for such extrajudicial actions,” Amnesty International Indonesia director Usman Hamid said.
“The shooting not only violates human rights principles – such as the right to life, the right to a fair trial – but also the regulations.”
Indonesian police rules state that firearms should only be used as an officer’s last resort.
Indonesia’s Institute for Criminal Justice Reform called Nasution’s words “irresponsible”. Some public sentiment, however, is on the mayor’s side.
‘Begal’ terror
Begals have savagely attacked their victims with sickles, airguns and rocks, terrorising Indonesians in the capital Jakarta, Medan and other urban centres.
They approach their victims on scooters, usually in carefully chosen areas that have few security cameras, so that they can rapidly escape after the robbery.
Medan, Indonesia’s fifth-largest city, has been hit by 45 begal attacks since January, police say, and one brutal case two months ago caused an uproar.
According to official data, the rate of robberies has risen in 2023, but experts say Indonesian criminal data is often incomplete due to underreporting.
Source: TRTworld.com