Indonesian court jails organiser, security chief in soccer tragedy

A soccer club organiser and its chief of security were jailed by an Indonesian court on Thursday on charges of negligence leading to the deaths of 135 people when police fired tear gas inside a stadium last October setting off a panicked run for the exitsThe disaster in Kanjuruhan stadium in East Javas Malang city was among the worlds worst sporting tragedies The panel of three judges at Surabaya District Court which was under heavy police guard convicted Abdul Haris the Arema FC Organising Committee chair and the clubs security chief Suko Sutrisno of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm following a nearly twomonth trial About 140 witnesses testified during the trialHaris was sentenced to 18 months in prison and Sutrisno to 12 months far below the more than six years sought by prosecutors for each of them Presiding Judge Abu Achmad Sidqi Amsya said the defendants had not verified the safety of the stadium since 2020 and did not prepare an emergency plan The crowds panic after the tear gas was fired caused a crush at six exits where many fans were killed he saidThe defendants mistake has caused intense grief for the victims families as well as triggering a negative stigma for Indonesian football in the eyes of international society Amsya saidThe judges said they considered several factors in reducing the sentences including Hariss long involvement in advancing Indonesian soccer Both of the defendants and prosecutors said they are considering whether to appeal the sentences An appeal must be filed within seven daysIt was among the deadliest soccerrelated tragedies since a 1964 crush in Peru killed over 300 peoplePolice fired the tear gas when fans flooded the pitch after Arema FC was defeated in a home match for the first time in 23 years by rival Persebaya Surabaya The match was attended only by Arema fans as organizers had banned Persebaya supporters because of Indonesias history of violent soccer rivalriesThree police officials who allowed or ordered the officers to use tear gas are being tried at the same court on the same charges Prosecutors have demanded threeyear prison terms and the court is expected to hand down its verdict within weeksAt least 11 officers fired tear gas eight canisters into the stands and three onto the pitch to prevent more spectators from taking to the field after the game Police described the pitch invasion as a riot and said two officers were killed but survivors accused them of overreacting Videos showed officers kicking and hitting fans with batons and forcibly pushing spectators back into the standsAlso read Indonesia landslide deaths climb to 21 dozens still missingNational Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo removed the police chiefs of East Java province and Malang district and suspended 20 other officers over violations of professional ethics after the tragedyAn investigation set up by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in response to a national outcry over the deaths concluded that the tear gas was the main cause of the crowd surgeIt said police on duty had no knowledge that the use of tear gas is prohibited at soccer stadiums and used it indiscriminately on the field in the stands and outside the stadium causing the more than 42000 spectators inside the 36000seat stadium to rush to the exits several of which were lockedWidodos factfinding team also concluded that national soccer association PSSI had been negligent and ignored safety and security regulations Its chair and executive committee were replaced last month and it is now led by Erick Thohir the former owner and chairman of Italian soccer giant Inter Milan and US soccer club DC United who has served as Indonesias minister of StateOwned Enterprises since 2019Authorities in Surabaya the capital of East Java province deployed 360 police to secure the court for its ruling on ThursdayArema fans known widely as iquestAremaniaiquest were prohibited from coming to Surabaya during the trial to avoid any clash with Persebaya fans Devi Athok a resident of Malang who had two daughters who were killed in the crush said he was disappointed by the ruling in a trial with such a large number of victimsI dont understand and am very disappointed to hear the verdict Athok said in an interview with Kompas TV It doesnt provide justice for the victims and doesnt follow the facts and evidenceHe said he hopes that prosecutors will appeal the sentences so that justice is truly upheldThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever