Two men involved in last year’s stadium disaster in Indonesia have been jailed for negligence. Indonesian media write on Thursday that Abdul Haris, chairman of the committee of football club Arema FC that organized the match, will be jailed for a year and a half. Suko Sutrisno, responsible for security, is sentenced to one year in prison.
At least 132 people died in early October after a match at Kanjuruhan Stadium on the Indonesian island of Java. Two weeks later, investigators designated the Indonesian Football Association PSSI as primarily responsible. As supporters walked onto the pitch, police began firing tear gas indiscriminately, causing panic. FIFA has banned the use of tear gas in stadiums.
Prison sentences of six years and eight months had been sought for both Haris and Sutrisno. The judge opted for lower sentences, according to the Indonesian newspaper Compass partly because Haris would have helped victims. Criminal cases are still pending against three other people involved.
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