Light sentences sought for soldiers accused of killing Papuan leader

Light sentences sought for soldiers accused of killing Papuan leader

Agence France-Presse, Jakarta

Indonesian military prosecutors on Wednesday accused four
soldiers of causing the death of a Papuan pro-independence leader
but sought only light prison terms.

The four are among seven Kopassus special forces soldiers
accused of killing Theys Hiyo Eluay in November 2001 to stop him
making a call for independence for the restive easternmost
province.

Prosecutor Colonel Haryanto, at a court-martial in Surabaya,
sought a three-year jail sentence for Private Achmad Zulfahmi,
two and a half years for Lt. Col. Hartomo, and two years for
Capt. Rionardo and First Sgt. Asrial.

Haryanto demanded Zulfahmi be dismissed from the Indonesian
Military (TNI), saying he had clamped his hand over Theys' mouth
and nose.

Hartomo had "motivated other persons to conduct the
mistreatment" while Rionardo and Asrial were also involved.

All four defendants were guilty of "jointly or separately,
being involved in mistreatment that led to death," Haryanto told
the military court.

The court has not yet passed verdicts on the four and does not
have to follow the sentence recommendations. Prosecutors will
make recommendations for the other three defendants on Thursday.

The soldiers could face 15-year jail terms if found guilty of
murder.

Theys was found dead in his car the morning after he went
missing, while on his way home from a dinner hosted by Kopassus
in the provincial capital Jayapura.

In January, one of the accused, Lt. Agus Supriyanto, said his
superiors had ordered him and Zulfahmi to pressure Eluay to stop
promoting independence.

As they drove Eluay home from the dinner, Supriyanto said he
and Zulfahmi tried to dissuade him from speaking out on the
subject.

But Eluay became upset and started shouting at them, prompting
Zulfahmi to put his hand over Eluay's mouth, Supriyanto said at
the time.

Soldiers have said Eluay was weak but alive when they left
him.

The military last month withdrew all Kopassus members from
Papua, the scene of a sporadic low-level independence revolt, but
denied the pullout followed public pressure in the wake of
Eluay's murder.

Indonesian troops have been accused of widespread abuses in
Papua, administered by Jakarta since 1963 under an agreement with
departing Dutch colonial rulers.