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)