Tragedy and drama in Indonesia: the trial for the death of 135 fans in a football stadium has begun

Saturday, October 1, 2022 will be remembered as the day it happened one of the worst tragedies inside a sports facility. In this case, at a football stadium in Indonesia who expected a show for Persebaya Surabaya and Arema FC fans, but still took the worst of their sadness.

A stampede claimed the lives of 135 people, of which more than forty minors. Today, three and a half months after the tragedy, the process has begun to try to establish the reason for what happened.

Initial reports indicate that the stampede began after police fired tear gas into the stands when groups of fans invaded the pitch at the end of the match.

For this reason, three local police officers, a man involved in organizing the meeting and a security official were charged with negligence and face sentences of up to five years in prison. All appeared by videoconference at the first hearing this Monday.

A sixth suspect, who is a former director of the company that runs Indonesia’s top-flight football, is under investigation.

Amid heightened security measures to prevent possible protests, the authorities have deployed hundreds of security officers in the vicinity of the Surabaya courthouse in East Java province.

In addition, they limited the number of participants and journalists, so the hearing was conducted by telephone and live broadcast of the session was prohibited.

the chronicle of the drama

Faced with the unrest after the match ended, the security forces in charge of the operation at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang City responded with tear gas and caused panic.

As the defendants try to clear themselves, claiming there were two officers who died, survivors say security forces used excessive force. According to witnesses, they responded by kicking and hitting fans with batons, which led to more and more jumping onto the pitch.

As a first step towards a country horrified by such a tragedy, The Indonesian National Police has fired the police chiefs of Malang and East Java province After what happened. They have also temporarily suspended the domestic league, which resumed last month with no fans in the stands.

For his part, the Indonesian president, Joko Widodoordered an investigation and promised that Arema FC’s Kanjuruhan stadium will be demolished and another built in its place in line with FIFA’s safety standards.

Source: agencies