Indonesia police admit using snake to terrorise Papuan man
- Viral video shows huge snake wrapped around the screaming robbery suspect during his interrogation
Indonesian police have acknowledged officers terrorised a Papuan man with a live snake after a video of the incident circulated online showing the man screaming in fear and his interrogator laughing.
Police in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region apologised but also tried to justify the officers’ actions by saying the snake was not venomous and they had not resorted to beating the man, who was suspected of theft.
Human rights lawyer Veronica Koman said on Sunday the interrogation methods were torture and violated police policies as well as several laws. She said it was only the latest of several reports of police and military using snakes to terrorise Papuan detainees and symptomatic of a culture of racism against indigenous Papuans.
Sam Lokon, a member of the West Papua National Committee, which advocates for independence from Indonesia, was put in a cell with a snake and also beaten after being arrested in January, Koman said.
Police indicated the incident with the alleged thief happened recently, during a crackdown on petty crime in Jayawijaya district.
The popularity of the video had forced police into a “very rare” apology, Koman said, while also criticising the attempt to provide a justification.