An Indonesian court sentenced this Thursday to prison terms two people responsible for organizing a soccer match in October 2022, which ended in the death of 135 people, including more than 40 children.
The tragedy occurred in the Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang (East Java), on October 1, due to a stampede after the police fired tear gas at one of the cheerleaders.
Abdul Haris, one of the organizers of the game, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and security officer Suko Sutrisno to one year, the Surabaya court ruled, according to the French news agency AFP.
The two men have seven days to appeal the sentences.
It is the first trial in Indonesia for the tragedy.
Three police officers were also charged with negligence following the incident and are awaiting trial.
A sixth suspect, a former director of the company that runs Indonesia’s top soccer league, is still under investigation.
The incident occurred when hundreds of panicked spectators rushed through the narrow exit doors, causing a stampede that left many suffocated or crushed.
Police described the invasion of the camp as a riot and mourned the deaths of two policemen, but survivors of the disaster denounced the disproportionate use of force by officers.
Policemen from Malang city and province were fired by the national police after the disaster.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has ordered an investigation and vowed to demolish the Kanjuruhan Stadium so it can be rebuilt in accordance with International Football Federation (FIFA) safety standards.
The recommendation of a preliminary investigation for the dismissal of the head of the national soccer federation and his advice was not heeded.
This was one of the worst tragedies in football history.
Source: TSF
