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Retired military officer indicted in ‘Bloody Paniai’ trial
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Human rights (Shutterstock/garagestoc)
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trial relating to a 2014 gross human rights violation that occurred in Paniai regency in Papua began on Wednesday at the Makassar Human Rights Court in South Sulawesi, with a retired military officer standing accused as the sole defendant in the case.
The defendant is Maj. Gen. (ret.) Isak Sattu, who was a liaison officer for the Paniai Military Command (Kodim) at the time of the incident. He has been indicted for not having taken appropriate steps to prevent the incident from occurring.
Prosecutor Erryl Prima Putra Agoes said that around the time of the incident, one of Isak's subordinates fired a warning shot and asked for Isak’s directions.
“However, the defendant did not instruct his subordinates to take no action, to prevent or to stop the shooting and violence that resulted in the death of four civilians," Erryl said, as quoted by Antara.
If found guilty, Isak could face a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
Makassar Human Rights Court, according to the 2000 Human Rights Tribunals Law, has the jurisdiction to hear cases that occurred in Papua.
Stringent security measures were in place and hundreds of police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel were deployed to secure the trial on Wednesday, local news reported.
