One year after deadly fan crush at Indonesia football stadium, families still seek justice
- The crowd surge at Kanjuruhan stadium in East Java last year was among the world’s worst sporting tragedies, leaving 135 dead and around 580 injured
- Indonesia has convicted 5 of 6 suspects who were charged with negligence but some victims’ relatives say the punishments do not go far enough
A year has passed slowly for Devi Athok, an Indonesian man whose two teenage daughters died in a crush of fans at a football stadium in East Java last October after police fired tear gas, setting off a panicked run for the exits that left 135 people dead.
Chaos broke out after Persebaya Surabaya defeated Arema Malang 3-2 in the October 1, 2022 match in front of some 42,000 spectators, prompting police to fire tear gas, including toward the stadium’s stands, causing panic among the crowd.
Athok had bought four tickets for the Saturday night match for his two daughters, his ex-wife and her new husband. His 13-year-old daughter, Naila Debi Anggraini, decided to join her family at the last minute. She died in the crush along with her older sister, 16-year-old Natasya Debi Ramadani, and their mother, Geby Asta Putri, 37.
Two police officers who were initially acquitted by the Surabaya Court were later handed prison sentences by the Supreme Court. One was sentenced to two years and the other was sentenced to two and a half years. The former East Java Police mobile brigade commander was found guilty and sentenced to a year and a half in prison, and the football club’s former security officer was sentenced to one year.
But some relatives of the victims say the punishments do not go far enough and continue to fight for justice.
