Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Marianus Riwu are due to be executed on either the night of Thursday the 21st, or the morning of the 22nd.

Tibo himself was handed a letter informing him of the planned execution at around lunchtime, Monday 18th, in his isolation cell in a Palu prison. His lawyer, Roy Rening, said that the families of the men had not yet received the letter.

Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Marianus Riwu.

The day before, the 17th, a meeting was held to discuss the planned carrying out of the death sentences for the three men in which Central Sulawesi police chief Badruddin Haiti, TNI general Arief Sampurno, regional attorney general Hamzah Tadjah, and Central Sulawesi governor Bandjela Paliudju attended. They also discussed security measures for the event.

Major General Arief Budi Sampurno said, at the meeting, that his men were prepared to provide back-up for the police should the security situation get out of hand. Badruddin Haiti said he hoped that people would understand that the law was supreme and that no trouble would occur.

This is the second time that a date for their execution has been named, the other, cancelled, date was August 12th.

Continued….

Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) says he has tried to have the execution delayed, by telephoning the attorney general Abdul Rahman Saleh, but to no avail. He claims that the execution of the men would violate Islamic principles.

It is against Islam. Within Islam, if there is still doubt, then it mustn’t be done.
(Itu melanggar Islam. Dalam Islam, kalau masih ragu-ragu, jangan dilakukan.)

The human rights body, Kontras, have also condemned the planned executions. Usman Hamid of Kontras says that the killing of the men will prevent the discovery of the truth of what happened in Poso in 2000-2001.

Father Jemy Tumbelaka of the Santa Theresia church in Poso says that the execution will be carried out on the morning of Friday the 22nd.

Six districts in Central Sulawesi have been placed on red alert by the police, they being Palu town, and the regencies of Poso, Donggala, Parigi Moutong, Tojo Unauna, and Morewali.

Meanwhile it appears that the three men have refused to accept the offer of state funding for their burials, such as the provision of coffins.

September 22nd

Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Marianus Riwu were executed by firing squad at around 01.15 at an undisclosed place on the outskirts of Palu.

The men are expected to be buried in Beteleme village in Morowali regency.