Indonesian Police on trial over fan deaths at East Java’s Kanjuruhan Stadium

An Indonesian court has commenced a trial of police and match officials charged with negligence over their alleged roles in the deaths of more than 130 people during incidents at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java in October last year.

The deaths occurred as a result of a fans stampeding following a pitch invasion near the end of an Indonesia Liga 1 game between rivals Arema FC faced Persebaya Surabaya. With Police firing teargas (a crowd-control measure banned by world football governing body FIFA) into the crowd, the resulting panic led to fans rushing towards the stadium’s exits, which caused the fatal crush.

In the days after the incident, Indonesian Police-General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Chief of the Indonesian National Police, advised that six people charged had been charged with negligence causing death - three police officers and three responsible for the match and its security, including the head of Arema FC’s organising committee and one of the club’s security officers.

On Monday, a court in Surabaya heard charges against five individuals - three police officers, a security official and a match organiser - each of whom face a maximum prison sentence of five years if convicted.

A sixth suspect, reported to be a former director of the Indonesian league’s organising body, remains under police investigation.

With more than 1,000 members of Indonesia’s security forces, including police and soldiers, have been deployed around the courthouse, Court spokesperson Agung Pranata the trial was being held via teleconference due to security concerns.

With more than 1,000 members of Indonesia’s security forces, including police and soldiers, have been deployed around the courthouse where the trial is being heard

Prosecutors say authorities did not properly assess the safety of the stadium or prepare emergency plans.

With more than 100 witnesses expected to testify in the court hearings, prosecutors allege that authorities did not properly assess the safety of the stadium or prepare emergency plans.

Indonesia's human rights commission, which conducted an investigation into the stampede last November, found police fired 45 rounds of tear gas into the crowd at the end of the match, causing panic that led to the stampede.

Investigators concluded that excessive and indiscriminate use of tear gas was the main cause of the crush.

The commission said locked doors, an overcapacity stadium and failure to properly implement safety procedures exacerbated the death toll.

Indonesian club football was suspended following the disaster and only resumed behind closed doors last month. Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said that the stadium will be demolished and rebuilt according to FIFA standards as part of plans to “thoroughly transform” Indonesian football.

With the support of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) set up a taskforce to increase public security capacity following the disaster. In the days following the incident, President Widodo also ordered an audit of all football stadiums in the country.

Indonesia is due to host the FIFA U20 World Cup this year and FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said the tournament will go ahead as scheduled.

Image: A fan protest by Arema FC supporters over the 1st October fan deaths at Kanjuruhan Stadium (top) and a candlelight vigil by football fans in honour of the dead (below). Credit: Shutterstock.