Jakarta – The public prosecutor says that the lawyers representing six Papua activists indicted on charges of treason and criminal conspiracy do not understand legal classifications after they questioned the failure to include Article 87 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) in the indictment.

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – The public prosecutor handling the treason case against six Papua activists has rejected all of the arguments of the demurrer presented by the lawyers representing the six.

Not just rejected the demurrer’s arguments, the prosecutor also explained the aim of the treason charges to the panel of judges.

Jakarta – The lawyer representing Surya Anta Ginting and five other Papuan activists, Mike Himan, has confirmed that two of his clients will continue to wear traditional Papuan penis gourds (koteka) during a hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court today, Monday January 20.

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – Six Papua activists who are defendants in a treason case performed the song Hindang Makendang before the hearing began at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday January 20. The song was sung to the accompaniment of a guitar.

Jakarta – The online petition website change.org recorded that petitions related to the democracy and anti-corruption movement were the most popular in 2019. Eight petitions on these two issues received some 2.3 million votes or signatures.

Bambang Noroyono, Jakarta – The level of violence against journalists has remained high throughout 2019. The Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers) revealed that it recorded 85 cases of violence against media workers in 2019. LBH Pers Director Ade Wahyudin says that these cases have claimed as many as 79 victims.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – One of the lawyers representing six Papua activists being tried for treason, Annisa Rizky, says that her clients are being criminalised for excursing their freedom of expression.

Jakarta – Papuan activists Anes Dano Tabuni has insisted that he will wear a penis gourd (koteka) during court hearings on charges of treason and criminal conspiracy at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday January 6.

Jakarta – The Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) has recorded that over the last five years conflicts involving mining have occurred on land covering some 925,748 hectares, involving at least 71 cases.

Jakarta – The legal team representing Surya Anta Ginting and three other Papua defendants charged with treason and criminal conspiracy submitted a demurrer (eksepsi) or note of objection against the public prosecutor’s indictment during a hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday January 6.

Jakarta – The public prosecutor charged six Papua activists, Surya Anta, Charles Kossay, Dano Tabuni, Isay Wenda, Ambrosius Mulait and Arina Elopere with makar and criminal conspiracy during their formal arraignment at the first hearing at Central Jakarta District Court on Thursday December 19.

Jakarta – The panel of judges at the Central Jakarta District Court have postponed the first court hearing which was to hear the reading of the charges against Surya Anta and five other Papua activists.

Jakarta – The Jayapura municipal police have declared 20 people accused of being Free Papua sympathisers as suspects on charges of makar (treason, subversion, rebellion). The 20 are part of a group of 34 Free Papua sympathisers who were arrested by a joint team from the Jayapura municipal police on Saturday November 30.

Jakarta – On Monday November 18, the Metro Jaya regional police (Polda Metro Jaya) handed over six suspects charged with raising the Morning Star flag in front of the State Palace in August to the Central Jakarta State Prosecutor’s Office (Kejari Jakpus).

Jakarta – Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) has found scores of violations against freedom of religion and worship (KBB) or intolerance in Indonesia over the last year.

Imparsial Program Coordinator Ardimanto Adiputra said that the violations against freedom of religion and worship occurred in a variety of forms.

Racism by the ruling class through the security forces and reactionary civil militia groups against the Papuan people has triggered a fight back. The siege and attack on the Papuan student dormitory in the Central Java city of Surabaya on August 16 triggered a wave of anti-racist protests in Papua and across Indonesia.

Jakarta – The Institute for Public Research and Advocacy (Elsam) says that freedom of expression and opinion in Indonesia has declined since 2014. Citing data from the Freedom House website, Elsam said that for the last five years freedom of expression in Indonesia has been rated as no longer free.

Jakarta – Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) Chairperson Asfinawati has questioned why President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo did not intervene in the deliberation and enactment of other crucial laws as he did with the Draft Criminal Code (RKHUP).

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s move to postpone the enactment of the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) will not resolve the problem.

Jakarta – The Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) includes jail sentences for anyone who spreads communist, Marxist and Leninist teachings in public.