Responding to the murder of a student in Tual City, Maluku, by a member of the paramilitary police Mobile Brigade (Brimob), Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said:
"We convey our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased AT (14). Likewise, we pray for recovery of the victim's older brother, NK (15).
First, this case adds to the long list of extrajudicial killings. In the last year, at least 34 civilians were victims of extrajudicial killings by officers dominated by members of the National Police (Polri). This figure does not include similar cases that occurred in Papua. In recent days, children have again become victims of extrajudicial killings.
Extrajudicial killings are a serious violation of human rights.
Second, the process of evacuating the victim clearly ignored the critical condition of the victim, showing the authorities' low level of empathy for human life. Instead of protecting citizens' right to life and safeguarding the rights of someone injured to proper medical treatment during the evacuation, the police have again become human rights violators. The blow from the tactical helmet was fatal, taking AT's life.
Third, apart from physical violence, there is the potential for other human rights violations, namely the emergence of narratives to corner the victim by the police. The pattern of accusing the victim of 'illegal racing' without an independent and transparent investigation in Tual is identical to the Gamma case in Semarang in November 2024, in which the victim was accused by the authorities of being involved in a brawl. Likewise, the case of Afif Maulana, a student in Padang who died in June 2024 after being tortured by authorities, where the police said the victim was involved in a brawl and jumped from a bridge.
The police must stop using the tactic of creating narratives like this to corner victims and their families who are seeking justice.
This arbitrary labelling violates the principle of the presumption of innocence of the victims and is a form of arrogance by the authorities to cover up their mistakes. This pattern indicates that officers often act as judges on the streets, which actually has a fatal impact and threatens the right to a sense of security in society.
'It is very ironic that this case occurred when the government is carrying out police reforms, both by the Palace and the National Police themselves. This means that the ongoing reforms are just a fantasy and do not at all address the main problem within the police, namely violence by officers which breeds impunity.'
The National Police must be transparent in investigating this case. We also ask the National Police to provide regular updates to the public on the handling of other cases, such as Affan Kurniawan's death and the deaths of 12 other people during the August 2025 demonstrations, the progress of which is unclear to this day.
The President and the House of Representatives (DPR) must open themselves to carrying out structural reforms including social, political and economic policies which have often sparked protests in society, carry out institutional reforms of the police and independently investigate all cases of violence by officers.
Without a thorough evaluation and serious changes, the police as an institution will continue to lose the legitimacy and the trust of the public that they are supposed to protect."
Background
Media reports revealed that a Maluku Regional Police (Polda) Brimob officer was involved in violence against two student brothers, each with the initials AT (14) and NK (15) in Tual City, Maluku, on Thursday morning, February 19. The incident began when AT gave his older brother a ride on a motorbike after a pre-dawn meal.
On the way, they were stopped by Second Brigadier MS, a member of Polda Maluku Brimob Company 1 Battalion C Pioneer. However, without giving a clear reason, MS hit AT with a tactical helmet causing the victim to immediately fall from his motorbike.
MS suspected that the victim and his brother were involved in illegal racing. NK however has denied this allegation.
As a result of the violence, AT suffered serious head injuries, while NK suffered a broken right hand. They were then taken to hospital, but AT's life could not be saved and later that afternoon the Tsanawiyah madrasah student was declared dead.
Eyewitnesses also expressed concern over the evacuation process by several police officers who simply carried the victim from the scene without paying attention to the condition of the victim's head, which had been seriously injured.
Meanwhile, the Maluku Regional Police stated that MS had been detained and named a suspect under Article 76C in conjunction with Article 80 paragraph (3) of Law Number 35/2014 on Child Protection, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
In addition to this, the suspect is also subject to Article 466 of Law Number 1/2023 on the Criminal Code (KUHP), regarding assault resulting in death, with a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. The suspect also underwent a code of ethics trial at the Maluku Police on Monday February 23.
Amnesty International Indonesia has recorded at least 32 cases of extrajudicial killings outside of Papua by the authorities in 2025 involving 34 victims. The perpetrators were dominated by members of the National Police with 21 cases involving 23 victims.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Pembunuhan di luar hukum oleh aparat di Tual, ke mana reformasi kepolisian?".]
