24 Jan 2011

Soldiers jailed for torturing Papuan civilians

8:15 pm on 24 January 2011

Indonesia has sentenced three soldiers to between eight and 10 months in jail for disobedience after they were filmed torturing Papuan civilians.

A military tribunal found them guilty of abuse and disobeying orders, the ABC reports.

Sergeant Irwan Rizkiyanto was jailed for 10 months, first private Yakson Agu was sentenced to nine months and first private Tamrin Mahan Giri was given eight months, the ABC reports.

In footage posted on YouTube last year, the soldiers were seen applying a burning stick to the genitals of an unarmed man and threatening another with a knife as they interrogated them about the whereabouts of a weapons cache.

The soldiers are considering appealing against the verdicts.

The charge of disobedience carries a maximum penalty of two-and-a-half years in jail.

Indonesia has no law against torture.