2005 Indonesian Christian girls beheadings

Terrorist incident in Indonesia On 30 October 2005, three Christian girls – Theresia Morangke (15), Alfita Poliwo (17), and Yarni Sambue (17) – were beheaded by Muslim jihadists in Poso, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, an area plagued by sectarian violence since 2001. The attackers planned the beheadings after visiting the Philippines. In 2006, three men were arrested and in 2007 convicted of the crime, one being sentenced to 20 years in prison and the others to 14 years. Background Central Sulawesi experienced a lot of Muslim-Christian violence in the late 20th and early 21st century. The most serious violence, the Poso riots, occurred between 1998 and into 2000. Over 1,000 people were killed in riots, and tens of thousands were expelled from their homes. After a period of relative calm, hostilities were reignited by rumors that a Muslim girl had been raped by a Christian man. Thousands of Muslims and Christians were killed during the following year, and more than 60,000 families are reported to have fled their homes in the process. The Malino peace accord was signed in 2001 and produced a dramatic decline in violence, but in the following years, tension and systematic attacks persisted. In 2003, 13 Christians were killed in the Poso District by unknown masked gunmen. In May 2005, a bombing in the nearby town of Tentena, killed 22 people and injured more than 30. Days after the killings, two 17-year-old schoolgirls were shot in the same area. Christian community leaders have repeatedly criticized the authorities for allegedly not doing enough to find the perpetrators of attacks on Christians in Sulawesi. The attack The three teenagers were walking to a private Christian school in Central Sulawesi province with their friend, Noviana Malewa, 15, when they were attacked by a group of six masked men armed with machetes. The attackers left one of the girls' heads outside a church. A note was left with the severed heads, which were dumped in plastic bags in the girls' village, which stated: "Wanted: 100 more heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head." Malewa, the youngest, survived the attack with serious wounds to her neck. The surviving girl was able to describe the attackers to the police. Five suspects, including a former military police officer, were arrested and later released for lack of evidence, although three were subsequently re-arrested. The trial of three men, Irwanto Irano, Lilik Purwanto and Hasanuddin, began in November 2006. In February 2007, prosecutors recommended 20-year jail sentences for all three defendants. The prosecutors said they were not seeking the death penalty because the defendants had shown remorse and been forgiven by the victims' families. The sentences were passed on 21 March 2007. Hasanuddin was given 20 years for planning the attack, while two accomplices were given 14 years. Hasanuddin had told the court he helped plan the attack, but he denied allegations he masterminded it. On going to jail, Hasanuddin said "It's not a problem (if I am being sentenced to prison) because this is a part of our struggle." Hasanuddin was the leader of the regional Islamic jihadist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) for the Poso district. References 30em BBC News 21 March 2007 Indonesians jailed for beheadings https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6473897.stm 13 October 2012 BBC News 28 June 2004 Indonesia flashpoints: Sulawesi https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3812737.stm 13 October 2012 The Guardian 20 November 2005 McDougall Dan Machete killings fuel Indonesia's religious hatred https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/nov/20/indonesia.theobserver 13 October 2012 BBC News 28 May 2005 Blasts strike Indonesian market https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4588975.stm 13 October 2012 asianews.it http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4567 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080112012759/http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en January 12, 2008 FOX News 29 October 2005 Three Schoolgirls Beheaded in Indonesia https://www.foxnews.com/story/three-schoolgirls-beheaded-in-indonesia 13 October 2012 The Australian 9 November 2006 Fitzpatrick Stephen Beheaded girls were Ramadan 'trophies' http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/beheaded-girls-were-ramadan-trophies/story-e6frg6so-1111112492769 13 October 2012 OpinionBug.com 15 May 2006 Muslim Militants Confess To Beheading Christian Schoolgirls http://www.opinionbug.com/1382/muslim-militants-confess-to-beheading-christian-schoolgirls/ 13 October 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121112004405/http://www.opinionbug.com/1382/muslim-militants-confess-to-beheading-christian-schoolgirls/ 2012-11-12 dead (Warning! Graphic Images) BBC News 8 November 2006 Indonesia beheadings trial opens https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6127378.stm 13 October 2012 BBC News 21 February 2007 Prison demand for Poso suspects https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6381511.stm 13 October 2012 Voice of America 1 November 2009 Islamic Militants in Indonesia Jailed for Beheading Christian Girls https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2007-03-21-voa20/337195.html 13 October 2012 External links Indonesia Islam BBC News: Three Indonesian girls beheaded Voice of America: 3 Christian Indonesian Schoolgirls Beheaded in Area of Religious TensionApril 2025 medicmedic Indonesia Matters: Poso Beheadings Trial BBC News: Alert after Indonesia beheadings 2005 beheadings of Christian girls Category:2000s trials Category:Crime in Sulawesi Category:Islam in Central Sulawesi Category:2000s in Central Sulawesi 2005 beheadings of Christian girls Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2005 Category:Islamism-related beheadings Category:Jemaah Islamiyah Category:Murder trials Category:October 2005 crimes in Asia Category:October 2005 in Indonesia 2005 beheadings of Christian girls Beheadings of Christian girls 2005 beheadings of Christian girls 2005 beheadings of Christian girls Category:Sexism in Asia Category:Incidents of violence against girls Category:Child murder in Indonesia Category:Terrorist incidents against Christians in the 2000s