They see signs of police abuse in the Indonesian tragedy

The National Human Rights Commission of Indonesiaresponsible for investigating possible human rights violations by the State, pointed out this Wednesday that there are indications of abuses by the security forces in the tragedy at a soccer stadium in the country, which left more than 130 dead and hundreds were injured.

According to what one of the commissioners of the entity, Choirul Anam, said in a press conference, the tear gas launched by the police to prevent thousands of fans from entering the field was the “trigger” for the death of , so far , 132 people, in what is one of the worst disasters in the world of football.

“The trigger for the downfall of many victims was the tear gas, especially those launched against the stands,” Anam said, adding that the commission’s final report will be released next week.

A stampede that broke out earlier this month at a stadium during a soccer match left at least 132 people dead and more than 460 injured, after fans stormed the field and clashed with security forces – who launched a tear gas bombs to control the crowd, despite the fact that its use in stadiums is prohibited by FIFA rules.

The commission’s preliminary investigations indicate that it was precisely the use of gas that spread “panic among the public and led to a chaotic situation in the field”, with images of terror going around the world.

“Some victims turned blue in the face, others foamed at the mouth, others not only had red eyes but turned brown,” Anam said.

The stadium has exceeded its maximum capacity

The first conclusions of the commission also confirm the hypothesis of the authorities that the stadium exceeded its maximum capacity, since it had a capacity for 38,054 people but there were 42,516 present on the night of the events.

They also removed the suspicion that the exit doors were closed at the time of the tragedy, although everything indicates that they were only “partially” open, which led to crowds and public fear.

“At that moment people cannot move because their eyes are irritated, they are short of breath, etc., which eventually causes many victims,” ​​the commissioner explained.

After the incident, Indonesian president Joko Widodo decided to open an investigation to find out who was responsible for the tragedy and to review the controversial actions of the police. So far, a dozen officials have been suspended, including the police chief of Malang, the scene of the events, while twenty others are under investigation.