IO, Jakarta – Murni nearly fainted when she was informed that the only male child of three siblings whom she had given birth to some 15 years ago had been murdered. The boy was Harun Ar Rasyid, a grade 1 student at Assadatul Abadiyah Islamic Middle School, Tanjung Duren, Petamburan, West Jakarta. Harun was shot and killed at the Slipi flyover, West Jakarta, when a riot broke out between the masses and police on Wednesday (05/22/2019) night. Harun, who actually only wanted to observe the crowd around Slipi on Wednesday afternoon, finally became one of eight victims who died as a result of the peaceful action in front of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), which ended in chaos in a number of areas in Jakarta.
When encountered at her residence on Jalan Gang Liam Ujung, RT 009/010 Duri Kepa, West Jakarta, Murni said that Harun played around the field not far from his house every day. Because he never played far, she never expected that her beloved son would become a victim of a riot that broke out at Slipi Tuesday night, May 21st. “My son never strayed far. He liked playing with kites or playing football.
“The kites were also self-made, only the paper was bought,” said the woman wearing a jilbab.
Murni, who felt so keenly sad at losing her son, said that Harun was a child who diligently attended the religious recitation. Even he was included in the Hadroh team (humming Shalawat Nabi) in his village. “His worship is Alhamdulillah. Here, in this village, there is also a recitation every Wednesday night, and Harun also joined the Hadroh team. If there was a wedding, he was often invited,” she explained.
It is still fresh in her memory – the last time she stared at the innocent boy’s face. On Wednesday morning, Harun asked her to buy paper to make a kite. “He asked for money, I gave Rp5 thousand, after that I don’t know anymore. I really lost my son, my only son,” she said with a sob.
According to her, not only did she and her family feel the loss of Harun, even his schoolmates, recitations and Harun’s playing friends could not believe that the sociable and easy-going boy had returned to Rahmatullah (passed away). “They do not believe. Harun’s friends acutely feel his loss. When some children came by and said they wanted to play with Abang Harun, and when I told them that Abang Harun had died, they could not believe me.
“They said ‘Yesterday he was flying kites with me, said the children here,’ she moaned.
The victim’s father, Didin Wahyudin, added that the activities of his children included nothing more than going to school, joining the recitation and playing with friends around the house. Didin also showed a picture of Harun on his cellphone. Harun looked dashing with a yellow Muslim shirt and black cap. A video showed Harun singing the Shalawat Nabi in a melodious and pleasant manner witnessed by worshipers, mostly adults and parents. Harun’s voice singing the Prophet’s prayer was able to make the pilgrims dissolve and shed tears. Harun’s video wearing the koko shirt and white cap then went viral on social media.
Didin claimed to have no premonition that Harun would leave them forever. On Thursday (23/5) he asked his wife about Harun’s whereabouts, since he had not returned home since leaving the house Wednesday morning (22/5). “I usually never ask about Harun, but yesterday I called his mother every minute, and every time I asked whether Harun has gone home yet. From there a concern arose,” commented the man, who works at a private company in Jakarta.
After returning from work and after breaking the fast, Didin and Murni rushed to look for Harun to his friends’ houses, but no one knew of his son’s whereabouts. Didin also shared photos of Aaron on the WhatsApp group, and soon got information that there was an unidentified child whose body was at the Dharmais Hospital, West Jakarta. But Didin who had seen a photo of the victim did not believe that it was Harun. His body, eyes and eyebrows look like Harun, but his hair is curly, different from his hair, and the mouth of the victim was foamy. Because without any identity, 1 of the 8 victims was taken to the Kramat Jati Police Hospital, East Jakarta.
Then there was a volunteer who told him about helping the child who was injured and covered in blood. The victim got first aid at the ambulance while heading to Dharmais Hospital, but his life had drained away by the time he arrived at the emergency room. After seeing the video shown by the volunteer, Didin finally had to accept that the small child victim he saw was truly Harun. Didin remembered the checkered shorts and shirts worn by Aaron on Wednesday morning.
Didin and his family broke into tears. Didin, who could no longer walk, asked his father and sister to bring Harun’s body home from the Police Hospital. However, due to lack of proof, the request to bring Harun’s body home was rejected by the hospital authorities on Thursday (23/5) night. The doctor suggested they come to take it on Friday morning. The doctor also recommended that the body be autopsied and this was approved by the victim’s family, but no autopsy results were shared. As a result, the family took Harun home without holding the autopsy results. “When we arrived home, the body was in a neat condition, it was already shrouded, so I did not know the condition of his body. It was clean. He had been wrapped in a shroud at Kramat Jati Hospital,” Didin said.
Actually the father wanted to bathe Harun’s body while seeing its condition. But, Harun’s grandfather forbade this out of pity: he didn’t want him to see his grandson who had already been dead for two days and two nights. Worried for too long, Didin decided to only look at his face. He didn’t see the condition of Harun’s whole body, but from his face there were stitches on his chin and his lips had turned white, with a soft head. Didin had a chance to see a photo in the hospital of a bandage on Harun’s shoulder but he did not know whether the bandage was to cover a wound that had a hole in his shoulder or not, for example because of a gunshot wound.
Harun was finally buried on Friday (24/5) after the Asar prayer, at public cemetery (TPU) in Duri Kepa, West Jakarta.
Demand for Justice
Didin said that he demands justice for his child. Harun was shot and killed; the culprit must be prosecuted. His son has become a corpse and the culprit must be severely punished. “This is murder!” he said.
Therefore, Tuesday (05/28/2019) he met with Deputy Chairperson of the House of Representatives Fadli Zon in the House of Representatives (DPR). “It’s painful for me, very painful, when I was told that my child had become a corpse in Kramat Jati Sector Police,” he said.
He told how difficult it was to take home Harun’s body. “The time to take home the body of my child was very difficult. Why did I have to take the body the next day, even though that night I wanted my child to be rushed home? So that night I could not bear to walk, I was already limp. I was represented by my brother and my father to take Harun’s body in Kramat Jati. But there he said he had to go through the procedure to take a cover letter from the West Jakarta Police. After the Polres, because it was already night, he said the next day he had to come back again at 8 am,” he continued.
On Friday morning (24/5), family representatives arrived at the West Jakarta Police, and they had to wait for an hour. The question for Didin was that the family had to agree not to sue before they would release the remains. “The next morning my parents went there, but the police chief had not arrived yet and a new cover letter from the police chief could be signed at 9 o’clock. Then the Harun’s body had to be autopsied first, but there was a statement that the victim’s family could not sue anyone. Before leaving, I ordered my brother not to sign a single sheet of paper if it’s not clear, and because of my instructions, my brother was confused. My father then ordered him to sign it because it was too long. He felt sad since Harun’s body had been two days and two nights at Kramat Jati Regional Police, so it was finally decided to sign,” he explained.
A fellow of Harun’s school, Angga (14) told of the beginning of the incident. Previously he was invited by Harun to eat in a food stall and Harun invited him to come to see the excitement in Slipi. He said at the time Harun was injured in the thigh due to being hit by tear gas bullet shells fired by the police. Angga then invited Harun to return to his home in Kedoya, West Jakarta to treat the wound.
After sunset, Angga offered to accompany Harun home, but this invitation was refused. Harun invited Angga to return to the location of the riot in Slipi, instead. Harun then approached the crowd. Angga was separated from Harun at around 10 pm when the police approached to disperse the crowd.
According to information compiled, Harun was shot in the left part of his chest with a bullet hole on his left arm, bruising behind his head, and an injury on his chin, as evidence of his death due to blood loss and concussion.
Guarding the FPI headquarters, ending in death
Aside from Harun, another victim who died in the tragedy of May 22, 2019 was Farhan Safero (31). The militant supporter of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) was killed while guarding the house of the Imam Besar of FPI, Rizieq Shihab, in Petamburan, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. Farhan was a member of the Majelis Taklim Nurul Mustofa and a resident of Kampung Rawa Kalong RT03 / 07, Kelurahan Grogol, Kecamatan Limo, Kota Depok, West Java.
M. Syafri Alamsyah and Farida, Farhan’s parents, confirmed that their son was an FPI sympathizer so he liked to join the FPI program including traveling out of town. However, the father stressed that he had never been involved in party activities. It’s just that Farhan and his family are supporters of Prabowo-Sandi in this 2019 Presidential Election. “He likes to take part in recitations at the Taklim Assembly Nurul Mustofa. The last time, he was the imam of the tarawih prayer,” said Syafri.
According to his father, Farhan, along with 20 FPI sympathizers went from Bekasi on Tuesday night (21/5) with the aim of defending Habib Rizieq’s house. His friend Syarif said that on Wednesday at around 2:00 a.m. after being in Petamburan, there was chaos in the Tanah Abang area. There was gunfire, and it was in this chaotic atmosphere that he became separated from Farhan. Around 5 am, Syarif contacted Farhan, and the security of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) said Farhan had been shot. “His mother, who was contacted by the RSCM, cried hysterically to hear Farhan had died from these wounds,” he explained.
While still alive, Farhan was rushed to Budi Kemuliaan Hospital. But the victim could not be helped and breathed his last in the hospital. Then Farhan’s body was sent to the Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM) hospital.
Farhan’s father who immediately rushed to RSCM refused to allow the hospital to do an autopsy, on the grounds of uselessness. “It is useless. I don’t believe in Jokowi. This country is still dominated by the Dzalim (Evil). We will never be heard. I demand that Jokowi, Megawati Soekarnoputri, Moeldoko, and the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister (Menkopolhukam) Wiranto be held responsible,” he demanded.
Syafri said he would try to find justice for the death of his child but he should not have asked for it.
“If the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), is willing, please give me guidance to investigate the truth. Or Prabowo, who once was defended by my child. My child has become a victim. I am proud of my son, Insyaallah, he was martyred,” he said.
Farhan’s aunt, Anida, said she received a report from Budi Kemuliaan Hospital on Wednesday (5/22) at around 04.30 which shocked the family. She did not know that Farhan had left to take part in the action in Jakarta. “I was startled. Everyone, you know, had no idea he was leaving for Jakarta. Next thing you know, when you heard it, he was dead,” she said.
Since he married, Farhan lived in Cikarang, Bekasi, with his wife and two children. He only occasionally visited Rawakalong. Farhan worked at any kind of job, sometimes as an online motorcycle taxi driver, a freight shuttle driver, a Muslim clothing seller. According to Anida, Farhan rarely spoke about politics.
The Director of Budi Kemuliaan Hospital, Dr. Fahrul W Arbi at Budi Kemuliaan Hospital, Central Jakarta, said that the cause of Farhan’s death was the result of a bullet penetrating the lungs, causing the lung membrane to tear. “The pneumothorax of the lung membrane was torn so that the air collected there and got into the large vessels,” he explained.
He himself has not been able to reveal more details regarding what kind of bullet penetrated Farhan’s chest. Fahrul said the victim died because he was shot in the chest. When he first arrived, it was too late and the life of the victim could not be saved. “He died because there was a translucent gunshot wound to the back of the chest, possibly in the lungs. There was a pneumothorax. The pneumothorax was torn so that the air collected there and hit the large blood vessels,” he explained.
Government will give no compensation
Social Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said that his department would not provide any compensation for the rioters who died on May 22. According to him, compensation for heirs requires assessment. “We will not help the perpetrators of the riots. We will wait for the assessment from the police. What kind of victims who died – this will be determined whether they deserve help or not,” said Agus at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Monday (27/5).
Following is the list of identities of the deceased victims of the 21-22 May 2019 Demonstration, released by the DKI Provincial Government.
1. Farhan Safero (31 years)
Address: Depok, Jabar. Died at Budi Kemuliaan Hospital (Body referred to RSCM) May 22, 2019.
2. M. Reyhan Fajari (16)
Address: Jl. Petamburan 5, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. Died at RSAL Mintoharjo May 22, 2019.
3. Abdul Ajiz (27)
Address: Pandeglang, Banten. Died at Pelni Hospital May 22, 2019.
4. Bachtiar Alamsyah
Address: Batu Ceper, Tangerang. Died at Pelni Hospital May 22, 2019.
5. Adam Nooryan (19)
Address: Jembatan 5, Tambora. Died at Tarakan Hospital May 22, 2019.
6. Widianto Rizky Ramadan (17). Address: Kemanggisan, Slipi. Died at Tarakan Hospital.
7. Harun Ar Rasyid (15). Died at Dharmais Hospital May 22, 2019.
8. Sandro (31). Died in Tarakan General Hospital May 23, 2019. He had been receiving treatment since May 22, 2019. (dan)