Indonesian football disaster trial begins, 5 people prosecuted

Surabaya, Indonesia — An Indonesian court has ruled against five men on charges of negligence that killed 135 people after police fired tear gas inside a football stadium and many panicked toward a crushed exit. The trial started on Monday.

A deadly crowd surge on October 1 in Malang city, East Java, was one of the world’s worst sports disasters. Police fired tear gas as fans flooded the pitch after Arema FC lost to rivals Persebaya his Surabaya for the first time in 23 years at home.

The match at Kanjurhan Stadium was attended only by Arema fans as the organizers had banned Persebaya supporters due to Indonesia’s history of intense football rivalry.

Police described the pitch invasion as a riot and said two officers were killed, but survivors accused them of overreacting. They were seen kicking, hitting, and pushing the audience back into the stands.

At least 11 police officers fired tear gas.

An investigative team set up by Indonesian President Joko Widodo has concluded that tear gas was the main cause of the crowd surge in response to public outcry over the deaths. unaware that the use of tear gas was prohibited, it was used “indiscriminately” on the field, in the stands, and outside the stadium, flooding more than 42,000 spectators inside the 36,000-seat stadium. To the exit – some of them were locked.

This is one of the football-related tragedies that killed more than 300 people in Peru in 1964.

Prosecutors have charged five men — three police officers who allowed or ordered the use of tear gas on officials, and the chairman and head of security of the Arema FC organizing committee — for manslaughter and bodily harm. can be sentenced to up to five years in prison. if found guilty.

Authorities in East Java’s provincial capital Surabaya on Monday deployed 1,600 security forces, including police and soldiers, to Surabaya District Court and its surroundings, and the trial was held remotely to tighten security.

Arema’s fans, popularly known as ‘Alemania’, are prohibited from coming to Surabaya during the trial to avoid conflicts with Persebaya’s fans.

The National Police dismissed the chief of police in East Java and Malang districts and suspended nine other police officers for violating professional ethics since the tragedy.

A fact-finding team, including government officials, football and security experts and activists, concluded that the National Football Association, known as the PSSI, was at fault and disregarded safety and security regulations. asked the executive committee to resign.

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Karmini reports from Jakarta, Indonesia.