The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday apologized for roughing up a Nigerian diplomat and said that it had launched a formal investigation into the incident.
Nigeria earlier this week recalled its ambassador to Indonesia and summoned Indonesia’s ambassador in Abuja for talks after a leaked video of Saturday’s incident went viral on social media, prompting outrage.
The video shows three Indonesian immigration officials pinning the diplomat, whose name has not been released, into the back seat of a moving vehicle.
Photo: AP
The video showed one of them holding the diplomat’s arm and another pushing his head as he screams: “I can’t breathe,” and: “My neck, my neck.”
Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told reporters that there had been multiple meetings with Nigerian officials since the incident, including discussions with the ambassador in Jakarta on Wednesday.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets the incident on August 7th,” Faizasyah said. “This is an isolated incident and is in no way related to the commitment of the Indonesian government in carrying out its obligations as host country or in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
He said that the incident had been investigated by the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights, which oversees the country’s immigration authorities, but did not give any details of the results and did not take any questions.
The Nigerian government on Tuesday issued a statement expressing “outrage” over the incident, saying that it “condemns in the strongest terms what is, in effect, an egregious act of international delinquency.”
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had summoned the Indonesian ambassador to “protest strongly,” and had recalled its ambassador to Indonesia for consultations, “including a review of bilateral relations.”
It was not clear whether Nigerian Ambassador to Indonesia Usman Ogah had left the country, as the Indonesian foreign ministry said that he was present in person for the talks in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Indonesian authorities said that the diplomat was picked up by immigration officers after they received a tip about a group of foreigners whose resident permits had allegedly expired.
The diplomat was uncooperative and refused to turn over his documents when confronted in the lobby of an apartment building, and was therefore taken into custody, said Ibnu Chuldun, head of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights’ Jakarta branch.
In the vehicle, the man was held down after he attacked immigration officials, Chuldun said in a statement following the incident.
Only after being questioned at the local immigration office did he say that he was a diplomat and produced his identity documents, Chuldun said.
The incident was settled “amicably” the same day after the Nigerian ambassador personally came to the immigration office to intervene, Chuldun added.
“Both parties acknowledged that there had been a misunderstanding and agreed to make peace,” Chuldun said.
However, Nigeria’s diplomatic moves suggest that the matter was not entirely resolved.
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