An Indonesian court began a trial of some police and match officials charged with negligence over their alleged roles in one of the world’s deadliest soccer stadium stampedes.
According to Reuters, the disaster, in which 135 people died, occurred at a match in October at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java in 2022.
The incident prompted widespread questions about safety standards and the use of tear gas, a crowd-control measure banned by soccer’s global governing body, FIFA.
The court on Monday heard the charges against three police officers, a security official, and a match organizer, who each face a maximum prison sentence of five years if convicted.
Court spokesperson Agung Pranata said the trial is being held via teleconference due to security concerns.
An investigation into the stampede last November found that police fired 45 rounds of tear gas into the crowd at the end of the match, causing panic that led to the stampede.
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Investigators concluded that excessive and indiscriminate use of tear gas was the main cause of the crush.
A lawyer for the match organizer from Arema, one of the clubs involved in the match, said his client denied all charges.
“If there is negligence it should be on the police, who fired the tear gas, not us,” said Sudarman, the lawyer.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced the suspension of all league matches and that the Kanjuruhan stadium would be demolished and rebuilt.
