The Jakarta Post, 9/7/2006 6:03:39 PM
Thousands march against planned executions of three
Christians
PALU (Agencies): Thousands of people marched through the streets of Central
Sulawesi's town of Tentena Thursday, demanding protectors' office not execute three
men convicted in the killings of Muslims in a violence in 2000.
Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwu and Dominggus da are accused of leading an attack on
an Islamic school that left at least 70 people dead.
Many of protesters raised banners, calling for the prosecutors not to carry out the
execution, Antara news agency reported Thursday. They said that the three men were
not guilty.
The three received a last-minute stay in their executions in mid-August, but Attorney
General Abdul Rachman Saleh stressed Thursday that they would eventually face a
firing squad.
"We are prepared to execute Tibo and his colleagues, it's only a matter of time,"
Attorney General Abdul Rachman Saleh told was quoted by AP as saying in Jakarta
on Thursday.
Religious violence killed at least 1,000 people from both Muslim and Christian
communities between 1998 and 2002.
Nearly 500 police officers were deployed to guard some 3,000 demonstrators in
Tentana, 55 kilometers south of the provincial capital Poso. (**)
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