Gerry Goo, an 18 years old villager who was severely injured by bullets during a crowd control operation in early April, passed away yesterday (9 May 2017) in Goodide Village, of Dogiyai Regency. The relatives had brought Gerry Goo back to his home village on 7 May 2018 after doctors of the Dok II Hospital in Jayapura did not surgically remove the projectiles because Gerry’s condition was not stable enough for the surgery. Gerry Goo finally succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the crowd control operation and the subsequent torture at the Kamu sub-district police station. At the time of publication, it is unclear whether the family will request an autopsy of the body.
Background on the case
On 6 April 2018, Joint security forces from the mobile police brigade (Brimob) special forces and the crowd control unit (DALMAS) dispersed a group of villagers who had blocked the road and prevented two security force vehicles from passing the bridge in Mauwa Village of Dogiyai Regency. As additional police forces arrived in Mauwa, the security forces dispersed the crowd by using tear gas and live ammunition. Two villagers named Rudi Auwe (16 years) and Gerry Goo (18 years) were injured by bullets. Gerry Goo sustained two bullet injuries in the right shoulder as well as bruises on his back, arms and legs when police officers dragged him over the asphalt into a police vehicle. He was brought to the Kamu sub-district police station where police officers allegedly tortured him. Gery Goo sustained a head injury as a result of the torture.
Read more about the case here
