Campaign continues for Indonesian Christians facing death
-27/08/06
Following a stay of
Campaign continues for Indonesian Christians facing death
-27/08/06
Following a stay of execution in the case of three Christians accused on stirring hatred and violence among Muslims in Indonesia ñ charges they strongly deny ñ the international campaign for the men is continuing.
Media reports have suggested that Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu have received a permanent or extended stay of execution after pressure ranging from Amnesty International, other independent human rights organizations and faith groups. Muslims have also been supportive
Those working for a re-trial say that the three still face imminent execution in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and are urging members of the public to make immediate and respectful representations to the authorities ñ and to their own governments.
A national police spokesperson recently said that police had been notified of a date and venue for the executions from the Central Sulawesi prosecutor’s office, where the three are now detained, but declined to give further details.
Lawyers for the three men are currently seeking a presidential pardon. However, the Supreme Court has so far refused to forward the request to the Indonesian President.
Rory Rening, one of legal team said, “We believe that the Supreme Court has certainly exceeded its authority and we will prepare legal moves against this.”
The accused received a last minute postponement of the execution on Friday 11 August 2006 after intense international pressure. Since then, there has been great confusion over new execution dates, with apparently inaccurate claims by the UK Indonesian embassy that the execution was postponed indefinitely, the removal of the Attorney General for Central Sulawesi, and now a failure to disclose the new date.
The three men were sentenced to death for allegedly inciting sectarian violence and for murder of Muslims during Muslim-Christian conflict in Sulawesi in 2000. The Court proceedings have drawn global condemnation. The judge in the trial neglected to seriously consider the testimonies of at least 13 different witnesses that would have exonerated them.
Irwanto Hasan, then part of the Poso Police Intelligence Division, testified that the three Christians were engaged in a humanitarian exercise when they were arrested. They entered the conflict zone to evacuate children from a church-run school in the village of Moengko.
On the morning of 23 May,2000, a mob entered Moengko and set fire to the church-run school. The men and the students escaped out the back door while the building was burned to the ground.
Campaigners are asking supporters to communicate with, among others, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, fax: +62 21 345 2685; the Indonesian Embassy in London, tel: 020 7499 7661, fax: 020 7491 4993, e-mail [email protected]; and UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State the Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP.
Mr McCartney ([email protected]) is the Minister at the Foreign Office who covers Indonesia. The FCO has raised this issue in the past in terms of general disapproval of the death penalty, but human rights activists say it is now vitally important that the UK government and the European Union specifically raise the case of the three men.
[Also on Ekklesia: Indonesian Catholics face imminent execution; Retrial call for accused Indonesian Christians; Indonesian Muslims say violence is sin and heresy; Mennonites describe Indonesian earthquake horror]
Campaign continues for Indonesian Christians facing death
-27/08/06
Following a stay of execution in the case of three Christians accused on stirring hatred and violence among Muslims in Indonesia ñ charges they strongly deny ñ the international campaign for the men is continuing.
Media reports have suggested that Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu have received a permanent or extended stay of execution after pressure ranging from Amnesty International, other independent human rights organizations and faith groups. Muslims have also been supportive
Those working for a re-trial say that the three still face imminent execution in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and are urging members of the public to make immediate and respectful representations to the authorities ñ and to their own governments.
A national police spokesperson recently said that police had been notified of a date and venue for the executions from the Central Sulawesi prosecutor’s office, where the three are now detained, but declined to give further details.
Lawyers for the three men are currently seeking a presidential pardon. However, the Supreme Court has so far refused to forward the request to the Indonesian President.
Rory Rening, one of legal team said, “We believe that the Supreme Court has certainly exceeded its authority and we will prepare legal moves against this.”
The accused received a last minute postponement of the execution on Friday 11 August 2006 after intense international pressure. Since then, there has been great confusion over new execution dates, with apparently inaccurate claims by the UK Indonesian embassy that the execution was postponed indefinitely, the removal of the Attorney General for Central Sulawesi, and now a failure to disclose the new date.
The three men were sentenced to death for allegedly inciting sectarian violence and for murder of Muslims during Muslim-Christian conflict in Sulawesi in 2000. The Court proceedings have drawn global condemnation. The judge in the trial neglected to seriously consider the testimonies of at least 13 different witnesses that would have exonerated them.
Irwanto Hasan, then part of the Poso Police Intelligence Division, testified that the three Christians were engaged in a humanitarian exercise when they were arrested. They entered the conflict zone to evacuate children from a church-run school in the village of Moengko.
On the morning of 23 May,2000, a mob entered Moengko and set fire to the church-run school. The men and the students escaped out the back door while the building was burned to the ground.
Campaigners are asking supporters to communicate with, among others, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, fax: +62 21 345 2685; the Indonesian Embassy in London, tel: 020 7499 7661, fax: 020 7491 4993, e-mail [email protected]; and UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State the Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP.
Mr McCartney ([email protected]) is the Minister at the Foreign Office who covers Indonesia. The FCO has raised this issue in the past in terms of general disapproval of the death penalty, but human rights activists say it is now vitally important that the UK government and the European Union specifically raise the case of the three men.
[Also on Ekklesia: Indonesian Catholics face imminent execution; Retrial call for accused Indonesian Christians; Indonesian Muslims say violence is sin and heresy; Mennonites describe Indonesian earthquake horror]