Two Papuan separatist leaders receive up to 10 years in prison

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

A Papua district court sentenced Papuan separatist leaders Philep Karma and Yusak Pakage to 15 and 10 years in jail respectively on Thursday for "treason against the state".

The judicial panel said in Jayapura that Philep and Yusak had been found guilty of holding a separatist meeting in Cenderawasih University last year that discussed preparations to celebrate the self-proclaimed Papua Independence Day on Dec. 1.

The two had not only organized the meeting, but also organized the Papua independence celebrations on Dec. 1 last year at the Trikora field, Abepura. The event ended in clashes between independence supporters and the police, which led to the arrest of Philep and Yusak.

Besides giving Philep 15 years in jail, the court also declared that Philep was no longer fit to work as a civil servant and ordered that he be dismissed.

"The defendant should have protected and supported the Unitary Republic of Indonesia but instead committed treason against the state," said the court in its verdict.

In response, Philep, who always wears an Indonesian-style civil service uniform but with the banned Bintang Kejora independence emblem in the right lapel, merely smiled. "If you are not fully satisfied with the verdict, then feel free to impose a longer jail term," said Philep.

The verdict was much heavier than the five years earlier sought by the prosecutors for each defendant. This was because the two had been persistently hostile during the trial, the court said in its verdict.

Thursday's session was heavily guarded by police officers, who feared possible violence following a protest that ended in violence between the police and independence supporters on May 10 outside the Jayapura District Court. The clash happened shortly after a hearing involving Philep and Yusak had been recessed. Dozens of people, including 10 police officers, were injured. The clash apparently angered the top brass in Jakarta, and there were many reports that the police had committed human rights violations. Images of the police brutally beating up protesters and committing random acts of violence against civilians were captured by TV cameras and beamed across the nation.

Several senior police personnel were replaced following the clash after being held responsible for badly managing the protest.

The independence supporters clashed with the police after Philep was prevented from addressing the crowd.