Rights Groups Demand Justice after Transgender Woman Fatally Set on Fire in Jakarta

Indonesian police are searching for a group of men suspected of burning to death a transgender woman whom they had accused of stealing a wallet and a mobile phone.

The transgender, identified as Mira, was allegedly attacked and burned alive by five men in the Cilincing area in North Jakarta on Saturday, said Sandya Institute, a group that advocates for sexual minorities and human rights.

Mira died of her injuries the next day in a North Jakarta hospital, it said. “We at Sandya Institute condemn this incident and demand justice for Mira,” Sandya Institute executive director Roberto said in a statement.

Wirdhanto Hadicaksono, chief investigator at the North Jakarta police, confirmed the incident but did not give details, pending results of an investigation.

“It is true that a transgender was set on fire in the Cilincing area,” Wirdhanto said.

“We are pursuing the perpetrators. Let’s hope the case will be uncovered soon,” he told BenarNews.

Amnesty International called on authorities to urgently investigate the murder.

“This despicable murder must be investigated urgently,” Usman Hamid, Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director, said in a statement.

“Without prompt action from the authorities to cast light on this horrifying crime and bring perpetrators to justice, transgender people in Indonesia will feel even further neglected and vilified by their government,” he said.

A neighbor witnessed the attack, according to a local news portal.

The Suara.com news site reported that Mira was attacked by a truck driver, who accused her of stealing his wallet and cellphone.

The driver then called some of his friends believed to be local thugs, one of whom allegedly poured gasoline on Mira’s body and set her on fire after kicking her, Suara.com said, citing a neighbor’s account.

“I said, ‘Don’t pour gasoline on her. She’s a human being,’” the neighbor, identified by the initials O.N., was quoted as saying by the news portal.

“They didn’t listen to me. There was little I could do,” the neighbor said.

Sandya Institute urged the government to protect the transgender community from violence and harassment.

“It should also be noted that a transgender was set on fire during the COVID-19 crisis, which has put additional pressure on transgender people,” said Roberto, who uses only one name, like many in Indonesia.

Thousands of persecution cases

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, meanwhile, have criticized Indonesian officials during the past few years for alleged anti-LGBT statements and discriminatory policy proposals.

Arus Pelangi, an NGO that promotes the rights of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community,  said it had recorded 1,850 cases of attacks and discrimination against transgender people between 2006 and 2018.

“Violence against transgenders is not only carried out by members of the public but also authorities,” said Roberto of the Sandya Institute.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s government has been criticized for failing to curb anti-gay rhetoric and actions by officials in recent years.

Police have raided places frequented by gay people and briefly detained hundreds suspected of being homosexual.

Several local governments have also cracked down on LGBT people.

In 2018, the Pariaman city government in West Sumatra province issued a bylaw that imposes a fine of up to 1 million rupiah (U.S. $62) on LGBT people “who conduct activity that disturbs public order” or commit “immoral acts with the same sex.”

In 2017, a 30-year-old transgender woman named Zoya was burned to death in Bekasi, a city in West Java province, after several men accused her of stealing an amplifier from a local mosque, Amnesty International said.