There has been no special welcome and release for Brigadier J's body as is the tradition in honoring dead police officers or soldiers. The silence has invited questions.
By
Irma Tambunan/Kurnia Yunita Rahayu
·6 minutes read
IRMA TAMBUNAN
A family member holds a photo of Brigadier Nofriansyah, Tuesday (12/7/2022) at a funeral home in Muaro Jambi.
A silent welcome was felt since the arrival of Brigadier J's body at the cargo section of Sultan Thaha Airport, Jambi, on Saturday (9/7/2022), at noon until his funeral in Sungai Bahar, Muaro Jambi. The body was brought from Jakarta using a plane belonging to the airline Batik Air.
The executive general manager of Sultan Thaha Airport, Siswanto Singodimedjo, said that normally, the bodies of police officers or soldiers are greeted by a special ceremony from the unit where they are assigned. However, the special reception did not occur at the arrival of the body of Brigadier J.
“The [welcome] was silent. There was no reception, like with the bodies of other police officers," he said.
He cited as an example when a soldier died while on duty in Papua, the arrival of the body at Jambi Airport was specially welcomed by the unit where he was assigned. Then, there was a convoy behind the body leaving the airport. However, this did not happen in the release of the body of Brigadier J.
A journalist in Jambi, Dedi, witnessed a number of police officers at the cargo-arrivals section of Sultan Thaha Airport on Saturday at around 11:00 a.m. At that time, he was at the airport for other purposes. He questioned the policeman who was waiting in the cargo area.
"I asked, ‘What are you waiting for?’ He said he was waiting for the body of a Brimob member. But he did not mention where the Brimob member came from," he said.
When asked further about the Brimob member in question, the officer refused to answer. He even asked Dedi not to be in that place. Journalists were asked to stay away from the area until the body was taken away.
We don't want to sign. We ask them to wait until their parents arrive.
Dedi only learned that the Brimob member in question was the late Brigadier J on Monday (11/7) morning. At that time, there was a statement by Rohani, Brigadier J's aunt, regarding the incident that occurred at the home of the head of the Profession and Security Division of the National Police, Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo. The statement was broadcast by a YouTuber. However, a few hours later, this uploaded statement disappeared.
Rohani, Nofriansyah's aunt, said that upon arrival at the funeral home, the police who delivered the body immediately asked the family to sign the handover letter. The request was rejected. The concern was that at that time, Nofriansyah's father and mother had not yet arrived at home. They were still on their way from North Sumatra to Jambi.
"We don't want to sign. We ask them to wait until their parents arrive,” she said.
ISTIMEWA
The official residence of the head of the Profession and Security Division of the National Police, Inspector General Ferdy Sambo in the Duren Tiga area, South Jakarta, Tuesday (12/7/2022). This house became the location of a shootout between members of the police that killed Brigadier J or Nofryansah Yosua Hutabarat on Friday (8/7/2022).
Not allowed to open the coffin
Nofriansyah's parents just arrived on Saturday at around 11:00 p.m. The family was also forbidden to open Nofriansyah's coffin. The next day, on Sunday, the medical team from Sungai Bahar Community Health Center intended to add formalin. His mother and aunt then took off Nofriansyah's clothes.
At that time, it was discovered that there were many wounds and bruises on his body. Fresh blood came out of the little finger. When examined, it turned out that the little finger and ring finger were broken.
Rohani gave details that on the chest there were two gunshot holes. "The bigger one was on the right chest," he said.
There was also a gunshot mark in the left hand. There were incision scars around the eyes and lips. There were stitches on the nose. There were wounds on the right leg and the neck, and bruises on the left and right sides of the abdomen.
"So, if it's just a shot, it's impossible to get bruises," she added.
The explanation of the authorities regarding the chronology of Nofriansyah's death did not seem to align with the findings regarding the injuries on the victim's body. That is what makes the family feel a lot of awkwardness.
"We saw how cruelly those persons treated our child," she added.
Silence was also experienced at Brigadier J's funeral. The family asked the police officers there to have a final tribute ceremony held at the cemetery. The request was accepted. However, waiting for the funeral process to take place, the final honors ceremony was also not carried out.
Currently, the family has been accompanied by a lawyer. Lawyer Kamaruddin Simanjuntak reported to the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police, on Monday (18/7). National Commission on Human Right (Komnas HAM) also met with the families of the victim to gather information and obtain supporting evidence. It is hoped that this case will be solved as soon as possible.
Special rules
Regarding the welcoming of the body of the police officer, Head of the Public Relations Division of the National Police Insp. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said there were special rules to determine the welcoming ceremony for police officers who died. However, he did not specify the rules in question.
He added that according to the plan, Brigadier J's family and lawyers will meet tomorrow with the investigative team in Jakarta. During the meeting, the forensic medicine team will provide an explanation regarding the results of the autopsy that has been carried out on the body of Brigadier J.
The explanation is expected to provide a clearer picture and dismiss the speculations that have developed so far. However, said Dedi, if the explanation is not enough to dispel the doubts of the family and lawyers, they are welcome to request a re-autopsy.
"Investigations are open, allowing the lawyers, family, to file for an exhumation," he said.
In every case, if an exhumation is carried out, and then additional evidence is found to strengthen the results of the first autopsy, that is very good.
Dedi explained that exhumation or dismantling of graves for the sake of justice and transparency in the investigation of cases can be carried out by submitting the case to the investigators. The exhumation process would be carried out by the competent authorities, namely investigators from the forensic-medicine team, to meet international, scientific crime-investigation standards.
“In every case, if an exhumation is carried out, and then additional evidence is found to strengthen the results of the first autopsy, that is very good. Because it is done for the sake of investigation, and it should also be disclosed in the trial so that the issue is truly open, transparent and accountable," said Dedi.
In addition to the special team formed by the National Police, this case is investigated by Komnas HAM and supervised by the National Police Commission (Kompolnas). The police ensure that the disclosure of the case is carried out in a professional manner.
