The Jakarta Post, 2/5/2003 5:57:34 PM
Military officer admits his men killed Theys
JAKARTA (JP): In the first public admission that themilitary was behind the killing of
Papuan independence leader Dortheys "Theys" Hiyo Eluay, an Indonesian army
officer told a military courtl Wednesday that one of his men strangled the politician,
AP reported.
Lt. Col. Hartomo told the tribunal in Surabaya that one of his subordinates, Pvt.
Ahmad Zulfahmi, asphyxiated Theys after failing to convince him to drop plans to seek
independence for the restiveprovince.
Theys was found dead on the outskirts of Jayapura, the capital of Papua, in November
2001. Earlier that night, he had attended a dinner hosted by Kopassus, the army's
special forces unit.
Military prosecutors in Surabaya, East Java have charged seven officers and soldiers
in connection with Theys death.
Hartomo, one of the seven, insisted he had nothing to do with the killing and only
learned about it a day later.
"I called Pvt. Zulfahmi and asked him what happened," said Hartomo, who uses only
one name. "He told me that he had choked Hartomo, who uses only one name. "He
told me that he had choked him."
Last week, a second defendant, Lt. Agus Supriyanto, said his superiors had ordered
him and Zulfahmi to pressure Theys to stop promoting independence.
But when Theys resisted their pleas, Supriyanto said Zulfahmi tried to silence the
screaming politician by putting a hand over his mouth. Theys was alive and alone in
his car when the soldiers droveoff, Supriyanto testified.
If found guilty, the defendants face up to 15 years in prison.
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