Indonesia rights body calls for independent review of Sukoharjo school raid

Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights has called for an independent review of a police raid on a girls’ Islamic boarding school in Sukoharjo, Central Java.

Police searched Hamalatul Qur’an on October 27 as part of an investigation into the burning and vandalism of a food stall in September.

The commission says officers entered before dawn while students aged 10 to 16 and teachers were sleeping, and that some children were intimidated and taken away without a guardian or lawyer.

All those taken for questioning were later released, after investigators found no evidence linking them to the suspected crime.

The commission says the search left students frightened, disrupted classes and raised concerns about seized belongings, including students’ savings.

It wants police oversight bodies to examine the search, the use of force and the seizure of property, and has called for belongings to be returned and students to receive psychological support.

The commission also says police should review search procedures at girls’ boarding schools, while the investigation into the food-stall attack should continue.