Jakarta – An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced seven activists to between 10 and 11 months in prison for organizing 2019 anti-government protests in Papua province.
The court found Buchtar Tabuni, Stevanus Itlay and Agus Kogawa guilty of treason and sentenced them to 11 months in prison.
The four other activists, Fery Kombo, Irwanus Uropmabin, Alexander Gobay and Hengky Hilapok, were sentenced to 10 months in prison.
The sentencing session at the Balikpapan District court in East Kalimantan province was held by teleconference and broadcast live on the internet, in keeping with social distancing rules to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
About 40 people were killed between August and September after anti-government protests turned violent in Papua and West Papua provinces, which make up the Indonesian half of New Guinea Island.
The unrest was sparked by the perceived heavy-handed and racist treatment of Papuan students by security personnel on Java Island.
Prosecutors had sought between five and 17 years imprisonment for the seven activists.
According to a human rights lawyer who advocates for Papuan activists, Veronica Koman, unprecedented solidarity from Indonesians contributes a lot for the leniency.
“Our work is not done. There are 36 other West Papuan political prisoners detained on treason charges in the wake of the uprising in 2019,” she said.
Earlier, the Jakarta State Administrative Court said that the government’s decision to shut down mobile data during 2019 unrest in Papua was unlawful.
President Joko Widodo and his Information Minister, were co-defendants in the lawsuit.
Papua has been the scene of a low-level separatist insurgency since 1960s.
(dpa/NAN)
