Post by Anja Nieser on Oct 1, 2006 5:36:41 GMT -5
Charges that the bodies of three Catholics executed in Indonesia show
signs of violence
The trio's relatives point to wounds to the bodies that cannot be
attributed to the execution by firing squad. They demand a second autopsy.
Relatives lawyers are setting off for Europe and the United States to
present their case before international law agencies.
The 3 Catholics executed Friday of last week in Palu (Central Sulawesi)
for their involvement in the 2000 Poso sectarian clashes are not yet at
rest. The trio's relatives and attorneys have called for a second autopsy
to determine whether Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu
were victims of 'violence' right before or after their execution. Police
and judicial authorities have denied any kind of abuse.
The group of lawyers who defended the 3 Catholics has filed a complaint
saying that the bodies show signs that cannot have been cause by the
execution by firing squad. Tibo's body apparently has 3 broken ribs,
whilst da Silva seems to have been stabbed at the heart with a sharp
instrument. All 3 appear to have been shot 5 times at the chest rather
than once.
The families have asked the Prosecutor's Office and the police to have
another autopsy performed. This will require exhuming Tibo's and Riwus
bodies which were buried in Beteleme and Morowali (Central Sulawesi)
respectively. Da Silvas body will have to be exhumed for a second time
from its final resting place on Flores Island since the authorities had
buried him a first time on Sunday in Palu, but were finally persuaded to
hand his remains over to the family after the United Nations Commission of
Human Rights and the European Union intervened.
According to the findings of Christian doctors who examined the bodies,
all 3 men had 5 bullet entry marks on the left side of their chest. Tibo
also had 2 broken ribs and scratch marks on the face, whilst Riwus heart
had been pierced by a dagger-like sharp object.
The decision by the Prosecutor's Office in Palu to quickly bury the 3 dead
men without the benefits of religious funeral appears to give credence to
the theory that the execution failed to meet legal standards.
"We would never have expected such a thing," said Stephen Roy Rening, one
of the attorneys from the 3 men's legal team. "Now we must clear things
up. Not only national laws might have been violated, but so could have
international law. Having lost faith in Indonesias legal system, we are
left only with international institutions," he said. Some of the team's
members are in fact already leaving for Europe and the United States.
Indonesian authorities have either rejected the charges or refused to make
any comment. The Attorney General's Office directed all inquiries to the
Prosecutors Office in Palu, whilst Central Sulawesi police has dismissed
all claims that there was anything illegal about the execution.
(source: AsiaNews)
signs of violence
The trio's relatives point to wounds to the bodies that cannot be
attributed to the execution by firing squad. They demand a second autopsy.
Relatives lawyers are setting off for Europe and the United States to
present their case before international law agencies.
The 3 Catholics executed Friday of last week in Palu (Central Sulawesi)
for their involvement in the 2000 Poso sectarian clashes are not yet at
rest. The trio's relatives and attorneys have called for a second autopsy
to determine whether Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu
were victims of 'violence' right before or after their execution. Police
and judicial authorities have denied any kind of abuse.
The group of lawyers who defended the 3 Catholics has filed a complaint
saying that the bodies show signs that cannot have been cause by the
execution by firing squad. Tibo's body apparently has 3 broken ribs,
whilst da Silva seems to have been stabbed at the heart with a sharp
instrument. All 3 appear to have been shot 5 times at the chest rather
than once.
The families have asked the Prosecutor's Office and the police to have
another autopsy performed. This will require exhuming Tibo's and Riwus
bodies which were buried in Beteleme and Morowali (Central Sulawesi)
respectively. Da Silvas body will have to be exhumed for a second time
from its final resting place on Flores Island since the authorities had
buried him a first time on Sunday in Palu, but were finally persuaded to
hand his remains over to the family after the United Nations Commission of
Human Rights and the European Union intervened.
According to the findings of Christian doctors who examined the bodies,
all 3 men had 5 bullet entry marks on the left side of their chest. Tibo
also had 2 broken ribs and scratch marks on the face, whilst Riwus heart
had been pierced by a dagger-like sharp object.
The decision by the Prosecutor's Office in Palu to quickly bury the 3 dead
men without the benefits of religious funeral appears to give credence to
the theory that the execution failed to meet legal standards.
"We would never have expected such a thing," said Stephen Roy Rening, one
of the attorneys from the 3 men's legal team. "Now we must clear things
up. Not only national laws might have been violated, but so could have
international law. Having lost faith in Indonesias legal system, we are
left only with international institutions," he said. Some of the team's
members are in fact already leaving for Europe and the United States.
Indonesian authorities have either rejected the charges or refused to make
any comment. The Attorney General's Office directed all inquiries to the
Prosecutors Office in Palu, whilst Central Sulawesi police has dismissed
all claims that there was anything illegal about the execution.
(source: AsiaNews)