T

wo Papua Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members have been sentenced to 12 and 15 years in prison, respectively, for the premeditated murder of a member of the Air Force'€™s Special Forces (Paskhas), Pvt. First Class Wardeni, in Biak Numfor, Papua, on April 27, 2013.

The court handed down a 12-year sentence to Brig. Viktor Labobar and a 15-year sentence to First Brig. Noveter. The verdict was read out by presiding judge Irianto at the Jaya-pura District Court on Wednesday.

'€œNoveter intentionally shot Wardeni in the back of the head at close range, while Viktor encouraged Noveter to pull the trigger. Both violated articles 55 and 340 of the Criminal Code,'€ said Irianto in a hearing attended by dozens of Air Force personnel.

In a previous hearing, prosecutor Elida Sitanggang demanded an 18-year sentence for both Brimob personnel. Mitigating circumstances were that both of them had apologized to the victim'€™s family and had paid compensation, said Irianto.

That both Brimob members should have acted as a role models but did not was cited as an aggravating circumstance.

The incident took place at a night market in Biak Numfor. Wardeni, who was with Pvt. First Class Da-mar Setya Anggoro at the time, was leaving the location on a motorbike when a log placed across the exit blocked his path.

Both Viktor and Noveter hit Wardeni and Damar. Wardeni, who fell, tried to get up and flee, but defendant Noveter shot Wardeni in the back of the head, with Noveter goading him on.

The defendants'€™ lawyer, John Maturbongs, objected to the verdict. '€œWe will discuss it before responding to the court'€™s decision,'€ said Maturbongs.

Prosecutor Elida has yet to announce whether she will appeal the sentence. '€œWe sought an 18-year sentence and still want that,'€ she said briefly.

Jayapura Air Force Base spokesperson Maj. Yuni said they respected the verdict.

'€œWe appreciate the district court judges and the legal process of the two defendants. It all went well,'€ Yuni told The Jakarta Post.

Yuni said the Air Force would monitor developments in the case and whether either side filed an appeal.

Police violence has been a very concerning issue in Papua. Last month, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) released its year-end report, announcing that the majority of human rights violations in 2014 were committed by police officers.

Kontras recorded that the police were the dominant actors in violations throughout the year, particularly in cases related to natural resources, or in conflict zones like Papua.

Kontras revealed 67 cases of violations had occurred in Papua in 2014, a large number of which were perpetrated by police officers.