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Match official jailed over deadly Kanjuruhan stampede
The October 2022 derby match in Malang, East Java, between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya ended in chaos with 135 spectators killed, many crushed as they fled for exits after police fired tear gas into the crowd.
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Scene of the crime: Tear gas canisters fly over the playing field at Kanjuruhan Stadium after the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya in Malang, East Java, on Saturday. (Kompas.com/Imron Hakiki) (Kompas.com/Imron Hakiki)
A
court in East Java sentenced a soccer match official to one and a half years in prison on Thursday after finding him guilty of negligence over one of the world's deadliest stadium stampedes.
The October 2022 derby match in Malang, East Java, between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya ended in chaos with 135 spectators killed, many crushed as they fled for exits after police fired tear gas into the crowd.
The match official, Abdul Haris was found guilty "due to his negligence causing people to die," said the judge at the Surabaya District Court.
The legal team for the defendant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An investigation by the National Human Rights Commission found the main cause of the stampede was police firing into the crowd 45 rounds of tear gas, which soccer's world governing body FIFA has banned as a crowd control measure.
Another match official is set to hear his verdict later on Thursday, while three police officers are also charged with the same offences and their cases will be decided at a later date.
Five men were charged with negligence leading to the Kanjuruhan stampede, one of the worst stadium disasters in football history.
