Jayapura – The Jayapura District Court on Wednesday handed down a five-year prison term to Sem and Wandik, the latest defendants to be convicted for their involvement in a bloody clash last March which killed five security personnel during a protest against the Freeport gold mine.

Sem, 22, was found guilty of violating the Criminal Code article on assaulting security personnel.

The court has now sentenced 21 defendants in the case. The final defendant, Seven Wendik, who is accused of killing an Air Force officer in the March clash, is still waiting for his verdict.

The defendants' lawyers, Ecoline Situmorang and David Sitorus, said the verdicts were unfair and the court failed to take into account the reasons for the protest. All 21 defendants were given prison sentences of between five and 15 years.