Three men have been charged under Indonesia's terrorism laws for involvement in the gruesome beheadings of three young Christian girls in the religiously-divided district of Poso, prosecutors said on Friday.
The three were this week charged with involvement in "an act of terrorism by using force that caused the loss of lives" in the October 2005 killings, Heri, an official with the attorney general's office, told AFP.
The girls were walking home when they were beheaded by machete in Poso's Gebang Rejo area on October 29, 2005. Two of their heads were found near a police post and the third was discovered outside a Christian church.
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The incident sparked public indignation in Indonesia and overseas. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemned the killings and Pope Benedict XVI deplored what he described as "barbaric murder."
'Barbaric murder' Dossiers on the three men, Hasanuddin, also called Hasan, Lilik Purnomo also called Haris, and Irwanto Irano, were submitted to the central Jakarta district court on Monday in preparation for a trial and the defendants were then charged, Heri said.
Achmad Michdan, a lawyer for the three men, confirmed that his clients would soon be brought to trial. The court will have to form a panel of judges before issuing a date for the trial.
Poso and its surrounding district has been the scene of sporadic unrest since violence between Muslims and Christians claimed about 1 000 lives in 2000-2001.
Muslims and Christians live in roughly equal number sin Poso. But Muslims have accused the police, especially its paramilitary unit Brimob, of favouring Christians. - Sapa-AFP
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