Writing from the Greater Jakarta Police Station, ANDI ARIEF, a member of the People's Democratic Party (PRD) and chairperson of Indonesian Students Solidarity for Democracy (SMID), describes his abduction and interrogation by Indonesian security forces last month.
I do not know which [security forces] unit perpetrated my abduction. I was abducted from my sister's store in Lampung on March 28. There were three Kijang vans outside, and I was thrown into one of them. I was immediately handcuffed and blindfolded. The kidnappers inside the car were wearing ski masks. My head was pushed down and I was stuck in this cowering position for two hours.
Suddenly the car stopped and my blindfold was released, but my hands remained handcuffed. The place was Bakauheni port, the crossing between Sumatra and Java. I could clearly see my kidnappers. Two of them had long hair. The commander who sat in front told his subordinates to change the licence plate, and the car went on to the ferry.
The ferry arrived in Merak port, West Java. During the trip to Jakarta I was free to see everything, but once we reached Kebun Jeruk area in West Jakarta, I was blindfolded again.
I managed to acquire information that the kidnappers once were on duty in East Timor and that the commander just came back from England. Three of these five soldiers were holding firearms. They also told me that what happened to me was the risk of my struggle. We had a long discussion about various political matters.
Around 6pm we stopped and I was taken to a room. They put another set of handcuffs on my hands and then they attached both sets to a chair with yet another handcuff!
I was interrogated night and day. The questions mostly concerned SMID and the PRD. They also asked me about L.B. Murdani [ex-commander of the armed forces and former minister of defence], Megawati Sukarnoputri, Amien Rais and a number of figures within PIJAR, Aldera, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation and Alliance of Independent Journalists.
They also mentioned several other names and told me these people would be arrested soon. I was forced to admit that I knew them, when actually I did not know any of them.
I was kept in the interrogation room for 10 days and then brought down to a two by two-and-a-half metre cell. The handcuffs and blindfold were taken off. There were six cells inside the building, and each one was monitored by a video camera. A radio was played very loudly from 5am to 2am every day. During the quiet time I could hear the voice of somebody praying in the cell to my right and somebody moaning with pain in the cell to my left.
At first I did not dare to talk to any of them because we were being monitored by a video camera. But finally I dared because I wanted to know who they were.
On the right was Waluyo Jati and Faisal Reza, friends of mine at University of Gajah Mada, Yogyakarta, and SMID activists in Yogyakarta. On my left side was Haryanto Taslam [Megawati's aide]. According to Faisal Reza, my cell used to be occupied by Pius [Lustrilanang], and the cell to the right of Faisal Reza's cell used to be occupied by Desmond [Mahesa]. Both Pius and Desmond were released once I was brought to the cell.
Waluyo Jati and Faisal Reza were given electric shock hundreds of times, even on their genitals. The interrogators also applied electric shocks to my genitals.
Those who kidnapped me must be part of the military because I was kept in a very spacious area. Every morning I heard the sound of trumpet for roll call.
On April 15, I saw that Haryanto Taslam was brought out of the cell. There were only three of us left there. The next day I was brought out at 11pm. I was again blindfolded and handcuffed.
I was taken to the central police headquarters and transferred to the police. I was taken to an isolated cell where there were only myself and Melisa, a defendant in a heroin case. I was handcuffed for three days and nobody was allowed to get in touch with me.
On April 17, I was brought to meet Lieutenant Colonel Lubis and asked to sign a warrant for my arrest and detention. I signed the warrant because I wanted to communicate with the outside world and expose what I and other activists had experienced.
On April 23, I finally met with my family.
After being detained at the police headquarters for six days, I was transferred to the Greater Jakarta Police Station. Again, I experienced inhumane treatment.
I and the other PRD activists were isolated from each other. Other detainees were able to be in one cell together but we were separated. I did not make a fuss over this discrimination because I heard that the development of the movement outside was promising.
I do hope there will be a thorough investigation of this kidnapping so that we know who conducted it and who is responsible. I hope it will reveal the mystery of other disappearances, such as in Tanjung Priok, Santa Cruz, Lampung and July 27, 1996.
There are two ways to avoid more kidnappings. First, campaign over this case and pressure the regime not to do it any more. Second, society, campuses and factories have to establish their own security systems to minimise the military's opportunity to make illegal abductions.
Students, fellow pro-democracy activists and other groups who are still fighting must not be afraid because of what happened to us. Myself, Pius, Desmond, Waluyo Jati, Faisal Reza and other friends should be an inspiration for the movement to keep moving forward and be vigilant.
Long live democracy!