Ghassem Saberi Gilchalan (49) immediately greeted us when we first met in a room at the Class IIA Youth Correctional Institution Tangerang, Banten, Friday (26/11/2021) evening. He nodded his head slightly, for a moment before sitting down on the sofa. At that time he was wearing a t-shirt slim fit gray that makes his posture look solid, solid, combined with navy blue training pants. Footwear is flip-flopped.
His eyes are always wary looking at his interlocutor. He spoke straightforwardly, but relaxed. The initial assumption obtained from an officer in detention who mentioned Gilchalan the closed figure instantly changed. Questions about his condition in detention were answered enthusiastically in fluent English. 180 degrees different from the initial information from one of the officers who mentioned Gilchalan often reasoned that he couldn't speak English foR stop the conversation.
"We talked for almost an hour about many things. However, for certain things, he was limiting himself. He seemed to show two sides; open, but also very careful. On the other hand, he laughed out loud a few times. One of them when asked about the fake Bulgarian passport he used to enter and leave Indonesia
Bulgarian Passport
“Ha-ha-ha, I made trouble for myself,” he said.
Confirmed Iranian citizen
A day after arresting Gilchalan at the end of May 2021 for using a fake Bulgarian passport, Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police investigators confirmed the authenticity of the Iranian passport that Gilchalan also brought with him. Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police sent a letter to the Iranian Embassy in Jakarta to confirm Gilchalan's citizenship, as well as convey legal issues related to him. On the same day, a person claiming to be a representative of the Iranian Embassy asked for an explanation regarding the Gilchalan case.
"We admit that the use of fake passports is a crime committed by our citizens," said the man, as reiterated by the Head of the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Criminal Investigation Unit, Adjunct Commissioner Rezha Rahandhi, September.
However, the police refused to elaborate on Gilchalan's case over the phone. The police asked the person to come to the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police Station with a certificate from the Iranian Embassy. A few days later, two-agent intelligence who identified themselves as Ali and Amir from the Iranian Embassy came to the Airport Police Headquarters, demanding that Gilchalan be deported to Iran so that his case could be processed there. The request was rejected.
Not long after, representatives of intelligence the Iranian Embassy again came to the Airport Police Headquarters, asking for the same thing, but getting the same result. The Iranian embassy then sent a letter with the number Ref:200-3-0055/1400 containing a request for deportation. The letter, dated June 14, 2021, was signed by the Consular Chief Intelligence of the Iranian Embassy, Abbasali Salighe Dar. The request was also rejected.
"The application was submitted in three meetings, starting from being represented by the public relations department to the head of the consular post," said Rezha.
When the trial began, Gilchalan had refused to eat on the grounds that he did not want to eat rice for a week. As a result, he got sick. Based on the prison doctor's diagnosis, his illness at that time was fever accompanied by dehydration due to lack of food intake. He was judged to need to be treated by a specialist.
The Iranian Embassy asked Gilchalan to be referred to the Tangerang District General Hospital. However, law enforcement took Gilchalan to the Police Hospital Sukanto Hospital in Kramatjati, Jakarta. Officers from the prosecutor's office also accompanied Gilchalan while he was out of custody.
The Kompas team asked about Gilchalan's request for deportation through a written letter to the Iranian Embassy on Monday (29/11). Public Diplomacy Officer of the Iranian Embassy to Indonesia, Ali Pahlevani Rad, Thursday (2/12), said he would answer questions that had been submitted by letter.
"We are still learning," said Ali in a written message.
Kompas contacted him again, Thursday (9/12), but until this writing was published, an answer had not been given.
AWKWARD REQUEST
Professor of International Law at the University of Indonesia, Hikmahanto Juwana, assessed that the request for repeated deportations made by the Iranian Embassy was odd. Deportation is the right of the country where a person commits an immigration violation, such as overstay. The practice of international deportation is also not based on the request of the violator's country of origin, but on the decision of the country where the violation occurred.
As for the use of fake passports, according to him, is a crime that must be resolved through legal means, not by deportation. The embassy should provide assistance when its citizens violate laws in other countries.
"Indeed, the interest of the Iranian government must be suspected in asking for the deportation of its citizens," said Hikmahanto.
Gilchalan, when met, admitted that the Iranian Embassy met him several times during the trial.
“During the trial, Intelligence from the Iranian Embassy came two or three times. They haven't visited in a long time because of Covid-19," Gilchalan said.
He repeatedly admitted that he was sad that he could not return to his country immediately. He admitted that his parents and brother were hospitalized. He also could not meet his children and two wives who were in Canada and Uzbekistan.
Kompas, Page-1, Friday, Dec 10, 2021
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