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Six Papuan Activists Convicted of Treason Freed

Amanda Siddharta

   JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Sixactivistscharged with treasonin Jakartafor
   organizingaprotestrallylast Augustoutside the presidential palacehave
   been freed fromprison.

   Paulus Suryanta Ginting, Ambrosius Mulait, Charles Kosay, and Dano Anes
   Tabuni, along with the only woman in the group, Arina Elopere, were
   freed this past week.

   IssayWenda,the sixth person, was released April 28.He had beensentenced
   to eight monthsinprison, a monthlessthan the others.

   At theAugust 28rally,a bannedseparatist flag was raised asactivists
   protested an incident that occurred against Papuans earlier that month
   in Surabaya in East Java.The Morning Star flag is a symbol of
   independence for West Papua.

   Over 40 students taken

   In mid-August, Indonesian authorities stormed a university dormitory in
   Surabaya, where Papuan students live, concerning allegations someone
   desecrated the Indonesian flag in the building and threw it into a
   sewer. Police fired tear gas and took 43 students into custody, while
   an angry mob that had gathered outside the dormitory chanted, "Kick out
   Papua" and used racial slurs to describe the students.

   The incident triggerednationwideprotests andgalvanizedthe
   pro-independence movement.TheMinistry of Communication and
   Informationresponded byblockingthe internet in Papua. Afterthat
   happened, some Papuans burned the office of Telkom Indonesia in
   Jayapura, the capital of Papua.

   Ginting, the spokesperson for the Indonesian People's Front for West
   Papua (FRI-WP), said their indictment was unfair.

   "None of us has the initiative;it never crossed our minds that we want
   to commit treason. We were only protesting;it was a standard rally to
   make a statement. The only difference there was that flag on August 28.
   I assumed it was the initiative from the people at the rally," he told
   VOA.

   'No intentions of treason'

   MichaelHilman, a member of the legal team representing the activists,
   said that the facts and evidence presentedincourt proved they were only
   protesting because of the incident in Surabaya.

   "There were no intentions of treason, or to attack the head of state,
   there was no violence whatsoever. But the judge's decision did nottake
   into accountthe facts," he said in a statement.

   Five ofthe sixwere supposed to be released three weeks earlier under a
   new decree by the Indonesian Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. The
   decreeinitiated an assimilation program for prisoners who have
   servedtwo-thirdsof their prison sentences to be released early because
   of the COVID-19 pandemic.Gintingsaid they signed the release documents
   on May 11 and had been tested for thecoronavirus, which causes the
   COVID-19 disease. At the last minute, they were told they could not be
   granted an early release because they were charged of treason.

   "We suspect political pressure or alleged abuse of power by the
   authorities,"Hilmansaid. The Directorate General of Corrections at the
   Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has not responded to VOA's
   requests for comments.

   Repression in Papua 'getting worse'

   Indonesia annexed the region of West Papua in 1969, aftersomeof the
   population was forcedtovote in favor of joining Indonesia. Since then,
   the area has become a hotspot of conflict with the government's
   crackdown of separatist movements.

   VeronicaKoman, a human rights lawyer, said violations and impunity
   still occur in Papua.

   "The repression in Papua is gettingworse, becausethere's a record of
   arrest in 2016. There were 5,136 arrests;that's already during Jokowi's
   regime," she said, referring toPresident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

   Failed promises?

   The presidentmade a promise to prioritize infrastructure development in
   Papua. But the president has never addressed the alleged human rights
   violations.Komansaid if the conflict in Papua is not resolved, it will
   be a ticking time bombahead ofa violent uprising.

   "In a couple of years, there could be a (violent) incident. And
   thenthey'dask, 'Why did it happen?' or 'Who was the provocateur.' Well,
   you're making them (the Papuans) victims repeatedly and robbing them of
   their dignity," she said.

   Meanwhile,Gintingsaid he would continue tospeak out aboutthe problems
   in Papua,butheacknowledgedthere is little he can do during the
   pandemic.He said the arrestshave created momentum for people to
   startadiscussion on Papua.

   "I think there are more people who are now curious. They want to find
   out what exactly is happening in Papua. A lot more people will be more
   open-minded," he said.

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