Jakarta, Mar. 9, (dpa/GNA) - An Indonesian court on Thursday handed prison sentences two football officials for negligence over a stampede that killed 135 people at a stadium last year.
The stampede, one of the worst sports-related disasters ever, occurred after police opened fire to disperse angry fans after hosts Arema FC lost to Persebaya in a top-flight Liga 1 match at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang on October 1, 2022.
Judges at the Surabaya district court sentenced Abdul Haris, the chief organizer of the match, to 18 months in prison, according to the Antara news agency.
Suko Sutrisno, the match’s chief security officer, was handed a one-year jail sentence.
The tear gas fired by police triggered panic among thousands of spectators who tried to flee through narrow exits. Most of the victims died from suffocation and being trampled, officials said.
The judges said Haris and Sutrisno had failed to ensure adequate security and crowd control measures at the stadium, according to Antara.
The sentences were lighter than what prosecutors had demanded for both defendants: six years and eight months in prison.
Both men said they were considering appeals.
Verdicts are still pending for three police officers charged with ordering the firing of tear gas.
GNA