Court Finds 6 Papuan Activists Guilty in August Protest Case
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24 April 2020 19:49 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The panel of judges of the Central Jakarta District Court found six Papuan activists guilty of violating Article 106 of Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 55 (1) of the Criminal Code.
The six activists, Arina Elopere, Paulus Suryanta Ginting, Charles Kossay, Ambrosius Mulait, and Anes Tabuni, were sentenced to nine months in prison, while Issay Wenda got eight months. The sentences were lighter than the Public Prosecutor’s demands of 1.5 years behind bars.
One of the activists' lawyers, Oky Wiratama, said his side would mull over the court’s ruling first. “We will discuss it for seven days,” said Oky through a short message on Friday, April 24.
The Papuan activists were arrested by the police for raising the Morning Star flag, a symbol of the Papuan independence movement, during a demonstration demanding a referendum in front of the Merdeka Palace on August 28, 2019.
The panel of judges considered their actions could be detrimental to the image and dignity of the nation and state, disrupt the security stability of the country and Papua province, disturb public harmony, and break apart the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
ADAM PRIREZA