Four Years After Kanjuruhan: Victims' Families Turn to Moral Campaign, Demand Thorough Investigation
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- Peringatan empat tahun Tragedi Kanjuruhan diwarnai aksi teatrikal di Balai Kota Malang, dengan pembacaan nama 135 korban dan pesan agar publik tak berhenti bersuara.
- Jalur hukum yang dianggap buntu membuat keluarga korban dan Aremania mengalihkan strategi ke kampanye moral, menyoroti vonis ringan dan aktor intelektual yang belum tersentuh.
- Restitusi dinilai tak cukup, sementara satu tersangka utama belum diadili karena berkas perkara tak kunjung lengkap, memicu pertanyaan tentang akuntabilitas negara.
Exactly four years after the Kanjuruhan Tragedy, hundreds of people packed the front of Malang City Hall on Thursday (1/10) evening, not merely to remember the 135 lives lost. They came with a demand: justice that has yet to materialize. The theatrical action staged by Aremania together with civil society elements marked that old wounds have not healed, and the state is seen as having failed to resolve the case thoroughly.
The crowd, which had gathered since the afternoon, carried posters reading "Justice for 135+" and "Stop Talking About Kanjuruhan". During the action, candles were lit around a shirt bearing the words "Justice For The 135+". The names of the victims were read out one by one, followed by the recitation of Al-Fatihah. The atmosphere grew more emotional when the names that had been called were placed into a black container lifted by a wooden puppet with a stake driven into its body—a symbol of wounds that never heal.
The coordinator of Aksi Kamisan, Eko, who facilitated the action, stressed that this fourth-year commemoration carried a message for the public not to stop speaking out about the tragedy. According to him, the memory of the darkness of 1 October 2022 continues to be kept alive by families, victim companions, Aremania, and civil society. "Don't stop talking about Kanjuruhan," he said.
Eko revealed that justice has not sided with the victims even though various legal efforts have been pursued over the past four years. "Over the four years, many things have happened. Friends from the victims' families, victim companions, legal aid organizations have made every effort, both litigation and non-litigation. However, a thorough investigation has never happened or materialized," he said. The dead end in the legal route led the demonstrators to shift focus to strengthening a moral campaign so that the issue does not disappear with time. "In this fourth year, the thorough investigation has perhaps shifted from litigation efforts to efforts for a moral campaign," Eko said.
He also assessed that the assistance and restitution provided by the government were not enough to meet the demands of the victims' families. "The restitution that has been carried out by the government, distributed by the court, its officials, in fact is not enough to meet the demands of the victims' families and the victims themselves," he explained.
An Aremania representative, Ambon Fanda, said the action was carried out so that the government would not close its eyes to wounds that have not healed. "A tragedy that is clearly before our eyes is not easy to forget. My hope is that the government will not neglect this," Fanda said. He highlighted the light sentences handed down to the defendants. "If it is said to be fair for the victims' families who felt the sentence of two years for 135 lives, that is ridiculous in our view," he said. Fanda also questioned the performance of law enforcement officials, which he considered slow and had not touched the intellectual actors. "The mastermind has also not been caught. Only formalities of punishment, formalities in our view. That is what we are pursuing," he said.
The Kanjuruhan Tragedy occurred after the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya on 1 October 2022. Police fired tear gas inside the stadium and the spectator stands after a number of supporters rushed onto the pitch. As a result, 135 people died and hundreds of others suffered minor to serious injuries. The police named six suspects: three from the police and three from the private sector. Arema FC organizing committee chairman Abdul Haris and Security Officer Suko Sutrisno were sentenced to 1.5 years and 1 year in prison respectively. Police officer AKP Hasdarmawan was sentenced to 1.5 years. Meanwhile, two other police officers, AKP Bambang Sidik Achmadi and Kompol Wahyu Setyo Pranoto, were initially acquitted, but the Supreme Court annulled the acquittals and handed down sentences of 2 years and 2.5 years in prison respectively. The Supreme Court also increased Abdul Haris's sentence to 2 years.
To date, one main suspect has not been tried because the East Java Regional Police has yet to complete the case file. In the considerations for Abdul Haris's verdict, the panel of judges at the Surabaya District Court assessed that PT LIB as the league operator ignored the safety of players, supporters, and security. The judges said LIB rejected the request of the then Malang Police Chief, AKBP Ferli Hidayat, to move the match schedule from 20.00 WIB to 16.00 WIB for security reasons, because it clashed with business interests and the broadcast contract with Indosiar. Hadian Lukita, who led LIB at the time, admitted that commercial reasons were the main consideration in rejecting the schedule change.
Four years on, the demand for a thorough investigation has yet to materialize. The victims' families and Aremania now lean on a moral campaign, hoping public pressure can push the government and law enforcement to complete this case. However, without a significant legal breakthrough, will justice for those 135 lives remain merely a discourse commemorated every year without end?
