Fabianus Tibo

Who was Fabianus Tibo?

Fabianus Tibo was an Indonesian Catholic citizen executed by firing squad on September 22, 2006 at 1:20 a.m. local time together with Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu for leading riots in Poso, Sulawesi in 2000 that led to the murders of about 200 people.

Human rights activists have expressed doubts that Tibo, and the other men, were the masterminds of the riots. The different treatment of Christians and Muslims in court was also criticized, as few Muslims were ever punished for their roles in the riots and none were sentenced to more than 15 years jail. Religious leaders of Christianity and Islam, including Pope Benedict XVI and Abdurrahman Wahid, former President of Indonesia and former leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, protested the execution of Tibo.