The first thing that Ravio Patra, a human rights activist and outspoken critic of the Indonesian government who was detained on Wednesday night, did upon his release was to feed stray cats.
After almost two days since his arrest, Ravio was released from the Jakarta Metro Police headquarters this morning under the status of a witness. In photos shared by fellow activists on Twitter, Ravio, who calls himself “A cat in human skin” in his Twitter bio, can be seen hugging stray cats and feeding them immediately upon his release.
Update Ravio sudah dilepas setelah pemeriksaan 33 jam di Polda Metro Jaya. Langsung ngasih makan kucing.
Thx utk semua yg mendukung. Jangan berhenti untuk bersikap kritis. pic.twitter.com/fnooc2J2jA
— Human Rights (@AlghifAqsa) April 24, 2020
Ravio was arrested for alleged incitement of chaos after a message calling for nationwide looting was broadcasted from his Whatsapp account. The activist claims that his Whatsapp was hacked at the time the message was sent out.
Shortly after his release, a coalition of rights groups issued a joint statement detailing a number of legal problems during the course of Ravio’s detainment.
The coalition comprises a number of major rights groups in the country that banded together under the name KATROK. The group includes free speech advocates SAFEnet, the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), and the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR).
KATROK alleged that police deliberately made it difficult for Ravio’s legal counseling team to assist in the case, citing difficulties to obtain information regarding his whereabouts. The Jakarta Metro Police reportedly denied that Ravio was in their headquarters, only to admit later that he was indeed detained there.
In addition, KATROK said police did not issue an arrest nor a search warrant even though Ravio had requested them. Police also allegedly searched his residence and took items that didn’t seem related to the case, such as books, a phone belonging to his friend, and his work laptop.
Ravio allegedly endured verbal intimidation from police officers, both at the time of his arrest and during his detainment at the Jakarta Metro Police. According to KATROK, Ravio’s legal status and charges changed twice yesterday, adding weight to the theory that he was framed.
Lastly, investigators were said to have accessed Ravio’s work contracts and personal financial management records, and deliberately changed his email password without his permission.
The coalition suspected that Ravio’s alleged hack and detainment were closely related to his recent activities, including criticizing the government’s COVID-19 response, which was published by news outlet Tirto, as well as criticizing a presidential staffer for alleged conflicts of interest due to continued role in his private company despite his public service role.
The statement ended with demands toward President Joko Widodo to stop repressive acts against critical citizens and for the police force to stop pursuing a case against Ravio, as well as arresting his hackers.
The hashtag #bebaskanravio (free Ravio) became one of the top trending topics on Twitter in Indonesia yesterday, with netizens backing the activist in what they see as a sham of an arrest. An online petition demanding Ravio’s release was also launched yesterday afternoon, with over 10,000 signatures at the time of writing.
