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Three Sulawesi militants executed Riots after Indonesia executions
(about 10 hours later)
Three Indonesian Christian militants sentenced to death for attacks on Muslims in 2000 have been executed by firing squad. Three Indonesian Christians have been executed by firing squad, sparking a wave of violent protests.
Fabianus Tibo, Marianus Riwu and Dominggus Silva were found guilty of inciting attacks during religious rioting in Central Sulawesi in 2000. Fabianus Tibo, Marianus Riwu and Dominggus Silva were found guilty of masterminding clashes in central Sulawesi in 2000 that killed 70 people.
The execution was delayed last month after an appeal from the Pope. Riots have broken out in religiously divided Sulawesi, with protesters torching cars and looting shops.
Local community leaders have expressed concern that the executions might re-ignite religious violence. But Palu, where the executions took place, remained calm. Mourners attended church services to pray for the men.
"It has been done... the location was around the airport," a police official who would not give his name told Reuters news agency. A spokesman for the Vatican, which had appealed for clemency, described the executions as a defeat for humanity.
He said the bodies had been taken to a police hospital. The human rights organisation Amnesty International also expressed disappointment.
Some 4,000 extra troops had been deployed in religiously-divided Sulawesi to boost security ahead of the executions.
Gang violenceGang violence
VIOLENT PAST Previously known as Celebes, Sulawesi is Indonesia's fourth largest island80% of residents are Muslim, while 17% are ChristianA December 1998 brawl in Poso led to months of religious violence in which hundreds died The three men were taken before the firing squad before dawn on Friday morning, according to police officers.
The men say they are innocent of the charges that they masterminded a series of attacks on the Muslim community in the Central Sulawesi district of Poso in 2000, killing at least 70 people. The bodies of Tibo and Riwu were then flown to their home towns, while Silva was buried in the provincial capital, Palu, where the executions took place.
The attack was part of a wave of violence that left more than 1,000 people killed. It was triggered by a brawl between Christian and Muslim gangs in December 1998. VIOLENT PAST Previously known as Celebes, Sulawesi is Indonesia's fourth largest island80% of residents are Muslim, while 17% are ChristianA December 1998 brawl in Poso led to months of religious violence in which hundreds died href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3812737.stm" class="">Flashpoint: Sulawesi
The execution had been due to take place last month, but the three were given a reprieve after a plea for clemency from Pope Benedict XVI and demonstrations by thousands of Indonesian Christians. The three men were accused of masterminding a series of attacks on the Muslim community in the Central Sulawesi district of Poso in 2000.
The militants' supporters and rights groups have questioned the fairness of the trial. The attack was part of a wave of violence triggered by a brawl between Christian and Muslim gangs in December 1998, that left more than 1,000 people dead. The two sides signed a peace deal in 2002.
Three Muslim militants are also currently on death row for their part in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed more than 200 people. The case against the men has raised questions in Indonesia about the different sentences handed down to Christians and Muslims.
Few Muslims were ever punished for the violence in Sulawesi, and none to more than 15 years in jail.
Human rights workers also claim that while it was possible the three men took part in some of the violence in 2000, they were almost certainly not the masterminds.
"I've been told by police that my father was killed," Tibo's son, Robert, told the Associated Press news agency early on Friday. "But it's useless for me to say anything now. The government never listened to him when he was alive."
The executions have highlighted the religious divideThe executions had been due to take place last month, but the three men were given a reprieve after a plea for clemency from Pope Benedict XVI, and demonstrations by thousands of Christians.
Despite government denials, many Indonesians connect the timing of the men's deaths with the planned execution of three Muslim militants for their part in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, that killed more than 200 people.
These men were also given a reprieve last month, and are now filing final appeals for clemency.
Indonesia is home to the world's largest number of Muslims. But in various eastern areas of the country, such as parts of Sulawesi, Christian and Muslim populations are roughly equal.