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Kopassus terrorizes Indonesia. America does it globally, a record no other country approaches.
A Snapshot of Kopassus Terror
Since formed in 1952, its record includes kidnappings, rape, torture, targeted killings, sweeping violence, mass murder, and other atrocities against anyone supporting independence or challenging state authority. A June 2009 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report reviewed Kopassus abuses titled, "What Did I Do Wrong? It discussed "frequent brutality against ordinary Papuans," including:
-- ordinary people arrested without legal authority;
-- in Kopassus barracks, they were beaten and otherwise mistreated, one former detainee saying:
"They stripped us down to just our underwear. They immediately beat us, without saying anything. They used a water hose. They beat us till we bled and had cuts....They kicked me in the chest with their boots, an officer shout(ing) 'You Papuans, one single Kopassus soldier can kill you like chickens.' "
Similar abuses are replicated across Indonesia, including in Jakarta, the capital, Kopassus operating with impunity. One detainee was savagely beaten after asking "What did I do wrong?" Another said he was kicked and beaten all night until morning. He asked the same question. So did others. HRW presented case studies of extreme abuse and mistreatment, against "rebels, "separatists," and "ordinary members of the population," some seized randomly. Others in detention never returned.
A November West Papua Report provides video evidence of Kopassus torturing Papuan civilians. In response, the Yudhoyono government said security forces will investigate themselves. Washington downplayed the evidence. ETAN explained that within days of the video's release, "a massive cyber attack took down many of the international NGO websites" that posted the footage. Clearly, a government agency was responsible.
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