The Jakarta Post, 8/11/2006 11:26:41 AM
Prosecutors prepare to execute three Christian militiamen
JAKARTA (AP): Prosecutors' office in Central Sulawesi was preparing Friday to
execute three Christian militiaman found guilty of carrying out bloody attacks on
Muslims during sectarian fighting in 2000.
The men were scheduled to be put to death at 0015 local time Saturday in the
provincial capital of Palu, an official said Friday.
"The firing squad, doctors and religious officials are ready to carry out their duties,"
said Attorney General's Office spokesman I Wayan Pasek Suartha. "The only
possible postponement now is if there are technical problems."
Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva were found guilty of inciting and
carrying out attacks on Sulawesi in 2000 during religious violence that left some 1,000
dead from both faiths.
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation but it has significant Christian
minorities. In Sulawesi and some other eastern regions, Christian and Muslim
populations are roughly equal in size.
Violence between Christians and Muslims on Sulawesi had spread from the nearby
Maluku Islands, where about 9,000 people were killed. Few people have been brought
to justice from either community.
The three men on death row have insisted they are not guilty, but their final appeal
was turned down by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year.
Amnesty International has expressed concerns about reports indicating their trial did
not meet international standards of fairness. (**)
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