Hundreds of people paid tribute and remembered this Sunday the first anniversary of the deadly stampede at a stadium in Indonesiaexactly one year ago, which left 135 dead and more than 500 injured in a soccer match, one of the worst tragedies in the recent history of global sports.
On October 1, 2022, 135 people, including 33 minors, were killed in a mass stampede after Arema FC club fans confronted security forces, who responded by using their batons and launching tear gas -prohibited by FIFA- and panic spread.
The tragic events remain alive in the memory of the residents of the city of Malang, in the Indonesian region of East Java, who this Sunday organized various celebrations to remember their dead and ask for justice Hundreds of motorcyclists drove this afternoon for about 22 kilometers to the Kanjuruhan stadium, the scene of the disaster, carrying black flags in memory of the deceased.
Also, more and more people began to gather at the gates of the sports complex for a night of songs and prayers in honor of the victims, most of whom died of asphyxiation and fractures when they tried to escape the stadium and found exits and escape routes. closed.
Starting at 10:12 pm local time (3:12 pm GMT) – the exact moment when the first tear gas bombs were launched – prayer rounds for the dead will begin. “After praying, we plan to open gate 13 of the stadium. This is a sign that we have released the spirits of our friends who were victims of the Kanjuruhan tragedy,” the coordinator of the Aremania Community, which brings together the Arema FC fans , Dyan Berdinandri.
A year later, nothing has changed
The disaster at the Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang occurred when dozens of Arema FC fans collapsed on the grass after a loss to Persebaya Surabaya and were violently repressed by police violence, which threw gas bombs into the crowd and caused stampede.
Images of the tragedy went around the world and the Indonesian authorities quickly announced an extensive investigation to clarify the facts and punish those responsible, as the Police were accused of negligence and excessive force. But a year later, little or nothing has changed.
Despite extensive investigations, so far only five people have been tried and convicted for their involvement in the events, among them three police officers, the head of stadium security and the president of the Arema club.
Activist organizations and victims’ families have denounced that the process and investigation “did not reach” the high command of the Police, while legal battles continue to ensure the rights of the injured and punish all those involved. responsible “in an exemplary manner.” of the incident.
“The legal process related to the security forces firing tear gas has not yet reached their leaders at the command level,” Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid told a news conference. “This is unacceptable, and the families of the victims who died and those who were injured deserve justice and proper accountability,” he added.
For their part, Malang residents showed their rejection of the Government’s plans to demolish the Kanjuruhan stadium, as they advocate turning the space into a museum and memorial site to honor the memory of the victims and prevent tragedy like this. happening.in oblivion. “From the very beginning we wanted the Kanjuruhan stadium facilities to be used as a museum and monument. In addition to commemorating the incident, the idea was for the museum to tell a chronology of the tragedy,” explained Berdinandri.
Also, little progress has been made in terms of the inspection and monitoring of stadiums in Indonesia by the strict security protocols established by FIFA, as well as the tactics used by the Police when containing common street disputes in country. This set of factors has caused concern in the international community, as Indonesia prepares to host the U-17 Soccer World Cup, which begins on November 10.
In this sense, Amnesty International expressed its concern over the “repeated violence of the Indonesian Police” and criticized the continued “use of excessive force, especially the use of tear gas, in the performance of their duties. ” “There have not been any significant changes since the terrible tragedy” in Malang, said the director of the entity.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
