Indonesian police officer jailed for firing tear gas that caused deaths of 135 fans at soccer match

Colombo (News 1st) - An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced a police officer to 18 months in prison after convicting him on charges related to firing tear gas into a crowd of thousands at a soccer match, which led to 135 people being killed as panicked fans stampeded to avoid the gas.
An official report into the tragedy had concluded that the firing of tear gas into the crowd had been the cause of the deaths. The victims included 32 children.
The convicted officer, who was named as Hasdarmawan, headed a paramilitary police unit known as Brimob, and had ordered the firing of tear gas as crowds thronged on to the field after the end of the match in Malang, East Java, on 1st October 2022.
Ten other policemen, including the Chief of Police of Malang, were sacked following the tragedy.
Two football officials have already been jailed over the tragedy at the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya.
Another police officer was acquitted by the court in Surabaya. The verdict with regard to a third police officer is pending.