Muslim militant gets 20 years jail term for beheadings of girls

Mar 21, 2007, 9:07 GMT

Jakarta - Indonesian judges on Wednesday sentenced an Islamic extremist to 20 years in prison for masterminding the beheadings of three Christian high school girls in Indonesia's strife-torn Sulawesi province nearly two years ago.

Hasanuddin, 24, was found guilty of violating anti-terrorism laws enacted just weeks after the 2002 bombings of nightspots on Bali island that left 202 dead, mostly foreign tourists.

'The defendant along with his accomplices has violated terrorism law,' chief judge Binsar Siregar told the central Jakarta court as quoted by Elshinta radio.

The judges agreed to the prosecution's request for a 20-year sentence upon conviction.

In the previous court hearings, an accomplice admitted taking part in the murders of the three girls - Alfita Poliwo, 17, Threresia Morangke and Yarni Sambue, both 15 - as they walked to school on late October 2005. He also testified that Hasanuddin masterminded as well as participated in the beheadings.

A fourth girl in the attack, Noviana Malewa, then 15, received serious injuries to her face and neck but survived. She has claimed that at least six men attacked the girls.

After the murders, the girls' heads were wrapped in black plastic bags.

One was left on the steps of a church in nearby village, while two others were placed near a police station five miles from Poso town, and the bags contained a note stating in part, 'We will murder 100 more Christian teenagers and their heads will be presented as presents.'

The October 2005 ambush by machete-wielding assailants triggered worldwide condemnation.

The beheadings were also carried out to avenge the deaths of Muslims during inter-faith clashes in the eastern province of Central Sulawesi between 1998 and 2001, according to the defendants.

During his trial, Hasanuddin admitted planning the murders and apologized to the victim's family.

Poso, which lies about 1,800 kilometres north-east of Jakarta, was the centre of conflicts between Muslims and Christians in 2001 and 2002 that killed more than 1,000 people.

In late 2001, rival party leaders signed a government-sponsored peace accord, but tensions remained and violence still frequently occurs. Muslim leaders have recently accused local police of siding with Christian groups.