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Indonesian police sorry for using two-metre snake to interrogate Papuan man suspected of stealing
- A police chief in Papua’s Jayawijaya district apologised in a statement on Sunday, but added the suspect was not in physical danger, as the snake was “not poisonous”
- Indonesian security forces have been repeatedly accused of using excessive force and committing rights abuses against Papua’s ethnic Melanesian population
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Authorities in Indonesia on Monday have launched an investigation after a police chief admitted an officer wrapped a live snake around a terrified suspect in a bid to force a confession.
In a shocking video that has emerged online, an alleged thief – handcuffed and sitting on the floor barefoot – is seen screaming hysterically as an officer shouts abuse at a police station in Papua province.
“How many times have you stolen a mobile phone?” he yells at the unidentified suspected thief.
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“Only two times,” the suspect responds.
At one stage, the officer appears to try to shove a two-metre-long snake into the man’s mouth, while others are heard laughing in the background during the undated video.
“An officer is now being questioned by Papua police internal affairs division,” said Papua police spokesman Ahmad Mustofa Kamal on Monday.
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