Indonesian soldiers sentenced to prison for torturing Papuan men

[News_Editor]

Indonesian soldiers sentenced to prison for torturing Papuan men

2011-01-24 23:54:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Three Indonesian soldiers on Monday were sentenced to prison for torturing two Papuan men after videos surfaced in YouTube, the Jakarta Globe reported.

The three soldiers from the Nabire 753 Infantry Battalion were ordered to serve terms between eight and ten months in prison amidst protests from human rights activists who said the sentences were insufficient.

Two Papuan men were tortured by six soldiers on May 27, 2010. The soldiers beat the men and then burned their genitals. In October, a video footage of ten minutes was posted on YouTube prompting an international condemnation.

However, the military court in Papua sentenced the three soldiers on insubordination charges and no torture charges were laid. Activists called for the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas Ham) to take over the investigation and prosecute the men for torture.

Judge Adil Karo-Karo considered that the defendants committed insubordination as they did not informed their superiors of their actions against Tunaliwor Kiwo and Telangga Gire in a military checkpoint near Gurage.

"The defendants did not report to their commanding officers in connection with the arrest and violence they had committed, therefore violating orders from their direct superiors," said the judge.

Sergeant Irwan Rizkiyanto was sentenced to 10 months in prison as he as the commanding officer in the military checkpoint. First Pvt. Jackson Agu was ordered to serve nine months in prison while First Pvt. Thamrin Mahamiri was sentenced to 8 months.

Amnesty International said that the prison terms were not enough as torture charges were not considered. The international body added that the current sentences did not match the severity of the crimes.

The two victims did not attend court to testify as they were too frightened to do it due to the lack of adequate safety guarantees. One of them recorded a message indicating that they were beaten for two days and soldiers put had salt and chili into their open wounds.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-01-24