Indonesia. Second clemency request for Catholics sentenced to death over Poso violence

the families of three Indonesian Catholics—Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus “Domi” da Silva and Marinus Riwu—sentenced to death for their alleged role in the 2000 Poso violence wrote to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, appealing for clemency. Through their lawyers, their letter was handed to presidential spokesperson Andi Alfian Mallarangeng.
Stephen Roy Rening, who coordinated the three men’s defence team, issued a statement at a press conference in Jakarta, explaining the bases for their request of clemency. He announced that “some witnesses have come forward with new, important developments concerning the 2000 Poso violence”.
“At least nine eyewitnesses,” Rening said, “have testified before a court in Palu last March 9 that Mr Tibo was not present at the location where Muslims were killed.”
He added that the claim that “Mr Tibo led an army of 700 Christians against Poso Muslims on May 14, 2000, is 100 per cent false.”
The other charge, namely that Tibo was a member of the “Red Army” (an alleged Christian paramilitary group of 130 people) was refuted by five witnesses who said the accused was at Christian orphanage near St Theresa Parish Church in Poso at the time when this “army” attacked a group of Muslim worshippers at prayer. The two locations are three kilometres apart.