TEMPO.CO, Perth - Australia has sentenced two Indonesian fishermen with 6 and 9 years of imprisonment. The convicts were the crew of asylum seekers' boat that was drowned, killing over 100 people.
The boat, helmed by Boy Djara and Justhen, carried over 200 asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Pakistan. On its way to Australia, it sank 100 miles off Christmas Island in June 2012.
Perth District Court charged the fishermen with six counts of penal violation, including that of assisting illegal migrants slip onto Australian territory. Judge Patrick O’Neal said that the 22-meter boat was stuffed by people, therefore exceeding its capacity. There was also limited safety kit in the form of life jackets. Both Boy Djara and Justhen plead not guilty over the charges. Djara said he was not the captain of the boat, and that he was only slightly superior than Justhen. He also claimed to not knowing where the boat was going, knowing only that it was used to transport goats. Judge O'Neal responded to his defense, saying that it was ridiculous.
ABC | NATALIA SANTI