25 Jan 2011

Papua torture case gives Indonesian soldiers eight to 10 months jail

4:18 pm on 25 January 2011

Amnesty International says it is surprised at the lightness of the sentences given by the Military Court in Papua to three Indonesian soldiers allegedly involved in torturing two civilians last year.

The men were sentenced to between eight and 10 months' imprisonment for disobeying orders.

But the deputy programme director at Amnesty International, Donna Guest, says the Indonesian military should have charged them with torture, given the release of a video in which the genitals of one of the victims are burnt.

She says as it stands it was possibly the lightest sentence they could have been given.

"The law provided for 30 months detention, the maximum and this was a lot less, eight months to 10 months, so it was a bit surprising, we've been calling for them to be tried, for the soldiers to be tried in a civilian court."

Donna Guest from Amnesty International.