Victims Of Kanjuruhan Tragedy Prepare Restitution Lawsuit

Kanjuruhan Malang Stadium/DOC ANTARA

MALANG - A number of families of victims of the tragedy at the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang Regency, East Java, on October 1, 2022, will file a claim for restitution or compensation to a number of parties.

Head of the Advocacy Team for Victims of the Malang Kanjuruhan Tragedy (Tatak), Imam Hidayat said that the material for the restitution lawsuit is currently being prepared to be submitted to the Kepanjen District Court.

"The Tatak team will file the lawsuit. Currently, the draft lawsuit has been finalized, no later than two weeks. We are discussing it with our teams in Jakarta and Malang," he said as reported by ANTARA, Monday, November 7.

Imam explained that the claim for restitution would be addressed to a number of parties who are included in the Indonesian football system, including the All-Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), PT. New Indonesian League (LIB), to the management of Arema FC.

In addition, he continued, the lawsuit will also be filed with the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian National Army (TNI). The restitution is compensation for the victim's rights as a spectator at the Kanjuruhan Stadium, some time ago.

"If restitution is an obligation, because they are paying spectators, the ticket must have insurance, there is protection from consumer foundations, we will mix it all up," he said.

Although currently, the draft lawsuit has entered the finalization stage, the amount of the lawsuit has not been stated yet. Currently, there are approximately 20 people represented by the Tatak team.

"We are trying to make this claim for restitution cover all victims. Even though life cannot be exchanged for money, we will fight for it as much as possible," he said.

On Saturday, October 1, there was a riot after the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya with a final score of 2-3 at the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang Regency.

The defeat caused a number of supporters to descend and enter the field area. The riot grew bigger as a number of flares were thrown including other objects. Joint security officers from the police and TNI tried to dispel the supporters and in the end used tear gas.

As a result of the incident, as many as 135 people were reported to have died from fractures, trauma to the head and neck and asphyxia or reduced oxygen levels in the body. In addition, hundreds of people were also reported to have suffered minor injuries, including serious injuries.