US slams Indonesia sentences in Papua torture trial

AFP/File – Three Indonesian soldiers appear before a military tribunal in November 2010 during the hearing in which …

– Tue Jan 25, 2:48 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States on Tuesday slammed as too lenient an Indonesian court martial for jailing three soldiers for up to 10 months for abuse and insubordination after they were shown torturing civilians.

The sentences "do not reflect the seriousness of the abuses of two Papuan men depicted in 2010 video," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said on the microblogging website Twitter.

"Indonesia must hold its armed forces accountable for violations of human rights. We are concerned and will continue to follow this case," Crowley added.The relatively light sentences prompted anger among campaigners,

who accuse the Indonesian military of acting with impunity against the indigenous Melanesian majority in the far-eastern province of Papua.

The military tribunal found the trio guilty of abuse and disobeying orders, and sentenced Second Sergeant Irwan Rizkiyanto to 10 months in jail, First Private Yakson Agu to nine months, and First Private Tamrin Mahan Giri to eight months.

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 location of a weapons cache.