Jubilee Campaign, December 14, 2005
URGENT -- Write to Indonesian President
Note: Scroll over photos to see captions
Sources in Indonesia have informed us that three Christian men convicted of murder
during the conflict in Poso in 2000 may be executed very soon. Fabianus Tibo,
Dominggus Dasilva and Marinus Riwu were sentenced to death for their involvement in
the communal violence between Muslims and Christians that rocked Poso, Central
Sulewesi, five years  ago. Having recently been denied clemency by Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, their execution by firing
squad may take place as early as the end of this year. The
defendants, however, maintain their innocence and claim that
their convictions resulted from irregularities during their trial. For
instance, they contend that the Judge in the case neglected
even to consider the testimony of thirteen different witnesses
(including the defendants themselves) that would have
exonerated them.
See a document listing this evidence.
The defendants claim--and are backed up in this claim by a
number of other witnesses, including Irwanto Hasan, who at the
time was a member of the Poso Police Intelligence Division--that
they were in fact engaged in a humanitarian exercise when they were arrested. They
had come to Poso  after hearing reports that a Catholic Church there had been
burned in the sectarian violence. They entered the conflict zone
to evacuate children from a church- run school in the village of
Moengko, Poso City. On the morning of May 23, 2000, a
Muslim mob entered the village and set fire to the church. The
defendants and the students escaped out the back door; the
building was burned to the ground. A few days later, according
to Hasan, Tibo and the others were recruited by the Red Group,
a militant Christian group. Far from participating in the violence,
however, Hasan claimed that the men acted to subvert the Red
Group's leaders and protect various individuals--both Christian
and Muslim--from violence. Hasan even claimed that at one
point Tibo had saved his life.
Read Irwanto Hasan's report.
 A number of Indonesian human rights groups have taken up the
cause of the three men, seeking clemency and exoneration. At
the request of Kie Eng Go of Jubilee Campaign Indonesia,
several members of the US Congress have written to President
Susilo, urging him to reconsider his denial of clemency. Jubilee
Campaign USA is developing a case to take before the UN.
But we need your help as well.
Please write, e-mail and/or fax a letter to President Susilo
regarding this gross miscarriage of justice. Click on the links in
this message to see a variety of background documents and a
sample letter you can modify and personalize. Three innocent men's lives hang in the
balance. Please act today.
See a sample letter to President Susilo
See the following background documents, all in PDF format:
An overview of the conflict in Poso
The clemency appeal, April 2005
A letter from the National Committee on Human Rights to the Indonesian Supreme
Court, June 2005
The defendants' letter to President Susilo, November 2005
An appeal for international action from the Human Rights Defender Team of Indonesia,
November 2005
Sample Letter to President Susilo
(Please modify and personalize)
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Date]
His Excellency Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President
Republic of Indonesia
Istana Negara
Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara
Jakarta Pusat 10010 Indonesia
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to appeal to you on behalf of three condemned men, Fabianus Tibo,
Dominggus Dasilva and Marinus Riwu, who were sentenced to death in connection
with the communal conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi, in May 2000, and now face
imminent execution. Although the men were convicted of murder and of fomenting
sectarian violence, a great deal of evidence exists to suggest they are innocent of any
such crimes. A number of credible witnesses testified that the men had come to the
conflict zones for the sole purpose of rescuing women and children and removing
them from the areas of danger. Other eyewitnesses declared specifically that Mr.
Tibo, Mr. Dasilva and Mr. Riwu were not involved in the killings for which they were
tried and convicted. Furthermore, a man who at the time was a police intelligence
officer in Central Sulawesi informed the authorities that, far from participating in the
violence, the condemned men actually saved his life when members of the Christian
militia were about to kill him.
Although this preponderance of evidence was made available to the court during the
trial, it is distressing to note that the Judge took none of it into consideration when
rendering his verdict. It strains credulity to believe an omission such as this could
have been merely an oversight; it seems too blatant a miscarriage of justice. Even
more disturbing, however, is the report that your office recently rejected Mr. Tibo's, Mr.
Dasilva's and Mr. Riwu's petition for clemency regarding the imposition of the death
penalty. For the execution of these humanitarian workers to go forward under the
circumstances noted above would place a black mark on Indonesia's system of
justice that would be difficult if not impossible to remove.
I therefore urge you personally to review this case, including the credible testimony
that was ignored during the trial, and reconsider not only the decision to reject
clemency, but the three men's conviction itself. Your leadership in this matter will go a
long way to correcting a terrible injustice and restoring the faith of the citizens of your
country and the world community in the criminal justice system of the Republic of
Indonesia. It will show the world that Indonesia operates under the rule of law rather
than the rule of threats, intimidation and scapegoating.
I look forward to hearing in the near future that Mr. Tibo, Mr. Dasilva and Mr. Riwu
have been exonerated, released and reunited with their families.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
* * * * * * * * * * *
Because of the urgency of this matter, we encourage you not only to mail your letter,
but also to send it by e-mail or fax:
Fax : 011 62 21 3457782
Email : presiden@ri.go.id
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email: jubilee@jubileecampaign.org
phone: 703-503-0791
web: http://www.jubileecampaign.org
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ago. Having recently been denied clemency by Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, their execution by firing
squad may take place as early as the end of this year. The
defendants, however, maintain their innocence and claim that
their convictions resulted from irregularities during their trial. For
instance, they contend that the Judge in the case neglected
even to consider the testimony of thirteen different witnesses
(including the defendants themselves) that would have
exonerated them.
after hearing reports that a Catholic Church there had been
burned in the sectarian violence. They entered the conflict zone
to evacuate children from a church- run school in the village of
Moengko, Poso City. On the morning of May 23, 2000, a
Muslim mob entered the village and set fire to the church. The
defendants and the students escaped out the back door; the
building was burned to the ground. A few days later, according
to Hasan, Tibo and the others were recruited by the Red Group,
a militant Christian group. Far from participating in the violence,
however, Hasan claimed that the men acted to subvert the Red
Group's leaders and protect various individuals--both Christian
and Muslim--from violence. Hasan even claimed that at one
point Tibo had saved his life.
A number of Indonesian human rights groups have taken up the
cause of the three men, seeking clemency and exoneration. At
the request of Kie Eng Go of Jubilee Campaign Indonesia,
several members of the US Congress have written to President
Susilo, urging him to reconsider his denial of clemency. Jubilee
Campaign USA is developing a case to take before the UN.