Tangerang Prison Fire Shows Urgency to Fix Human Rights Issues

Amnesty International Indonesia assesses that the fire incident at the Class I Penitentiary (Lapas) Tangerang, Banten which killed 41 people and injured dozens of inmates was considered not an ordinary fire incident. But it’s also a human rights issue.

“This is not an ordinary fire incident, but also a human rights issue. This incident further shows the urgency to address the prison problem in Indonesia which is full of human rights violations,” said Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usaman Hamid in a statement, Thursday (9/9).

According to him, prisoners and convicts are often placed in overcrowded prisons that threaten their lives and health. They are also human beings who have the right to proper prison conditions and the right to health.

Usman emphasized that every prisoner has the right to be treated humanely and with dignity. So the place of detention must provide adequate space, lighting, air, and ventilation.

“An incident like this should never happen again. Limited prison capacity with an excessive number of occupants is the root of serious problems in the criminal justice system in Indonesia,” said Usman.

Usman said that one of the steps that the government can immediately take to deal with this problem is to change the political orientation of policies in dealing with minor crimes, including those related to the use of narcotics. The government can release those who should never have been detained, including prisoners of conscience and those detained on the basis of the rubber articles in the ITE Law.

“Detention and imprisonment of people just for peacefully expressing their opinions cannot be justified under any circumstances, even more so in a situation where there is an overcapacity of the prison which endangers the health and even the lives of prisoners, especially during the current pandemic,” said Usman.

Therefore, Usman expects the government to be responsible for the fire incident that occurred in the Tangerang prison. Moreover, the incident killed 41 inmates.

“Immediately investigate what caused the fire and ensure that all the rights of the victims’ families are fulfilled,” Usman asked.

As is known, Block C2 Class I prison in Tangerang was hit by a fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning. As many as 41 inmates died in this fire, while several other inmates had to be referred to the nearest hospital for treatment.

It is suspected that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit. Only Block C2 was burned, because officers managed to secure it so that the fire did not spread to other blocks in Tangerang Class I Prison.