77 reportedly shot in Asian Games crackdown – Amnesty International
From Jakarta Post, via Asia News Network
The Asian Games have barely opened in Jakarta. The last thing they need is this explosive claim from Amnesty International.
Dozens of people have been shot by the police as part of an escalating crackdown against petty crime in the months leading up to the Asian Games, a human rights organisation alleged on Friday.
In a written statement received by The Jakarta Post on yesterday, Amnesty International Indonesia claimed that police officers had shot at least 77 people across the country between January and August this year, in an operation dubbed Cipta Kondisi (Public Safety Operation).
Among the number, 31 were shot in the Asian Games’ host cities, Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra. The organization believes that the police are taking a heavy-handed approach ahead of the Asian Games, which takes place from August 18 to September 2.
Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director Usman Hamid said the figures reveal a clear pattern of unnecessary and excessive use of force by the police.
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