Soldiers found guilty of killing Irian Jaya villagers
Soldiers found guilty of killing Irian Jaya villagers
JAKARTA (JP): A military court in Jayapura has sentenced four
soldiers to between one and three years imprisonment and expelled
them from the service for the killings of three Irian Jaya
villagers.
The four soldiers were identified by Antara as Second
Lieutenant Mardjaka, a platoon chief, who received one year and
four months, Chief Private Titus Kobagau (three years), First
Private R.H Renyaan (two years), and Second Private Laode
Jahnuddin (one year).
The court verdicts were the first handed down in connection
with the deaths of 16 civilians in the Timika area last year for
which the military has been held responsible.
The court said the four men were responsible for the deaths of
three persons during a patrol operation in the Agani village in
Ilaga district, Paniai regency.
The verdict also confirmed an earlier military claim that the
Timika killings, which caused an international controversy and
prompted the National Commission on Human Rights to launch its
own investigation, were caused by violations in standard military
procedures.
According to the court, Platoon Leader Mardjaka who was
leading the patrol had given an ambiguous order to shoot anyone
who failed to response to the military's calls to approach.
The patrol team later split into two smaller units, with
Mardjaka leading one and Titus Kobagau the other which headed for
the Agani village.
Titus' team was given a hostile reception when it arrived at
the village with arrow attacks by villagers. The patrol team
responded by opening fire, leading to the deaths of the three
villagers identified as Theo Amonkwame, Maria and her daughter
Arince Alonang.
Theo was later identified as a top separatist rebel leader who
was on the military's wanted list in connection with an earlier
attack on the nearby Hoea military outpost according to the
court.
Mardjaka was found guilty of violating article 103 of the
military criminal code which states that refusing to or knowingly
disobeying an order from a superior is an offense carrying a
maximum jail term of two years and four months. He was also
faulted for failing to report accurately to his superiors.
His three men, who were tried together at one hearing, were
found guilty of article 338 of the civilian criminal code, which
is intent to commit murder. The maximum sentence prescribed under
the article is 15 years. (emb)