Rights activists have called on the Indonesian government to return four treason-charged Papuans to their home province from South Sulawesi province to ensure their safety and a fair trial.
Four native Papuan political prisoners, Abraham Goram Gaman, 55, Maksi Sangkek, 39, Piter Robaha, 55, and Nikson Mai, 56, were transferred to Makassar in South Sulawesi from Sorong in Christian-majority Papua on Aug. 27.
They are charged with treason for issuing a letter in April requesting the governor of Southwest Papua, Elias Kambu, to facilitate peace negotiations between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Forkorus Yaboisembut, president of the pro-independence organization, the Federal Republic of West Papua, to discuss independence for the restive province.
They were arrested and charged with violating articles 106 and 110 of the Indonesian Criminal Code that criminalize secession.
The defendants were transferred to Makassar last week after the police cited security reasons to hold their trial in Sorong, the capital of Southwest Papua. The transfer triggered public protests and a police crackdown in Sorong led to the arrest of 10 people.
However, rights activists say the ongoing deadly riots across Indonesia over allowance raises for parliamentarians have made Makassar even more unsafe.
On Aug. 29, the local parliament building in Makassar was set ablaze after protesters clashed with police, leaving a trail of devastation.
"It is clear that Makassar is not a safe area. In fact, they have made a fatal error that threatens the safety of the four political prisoners," Leonardo Ijie, director of the Sorong-based Kaki Abu Legal Aid Institute, told UCA News.
"We must not allow anything to endanger their lives, as that would be a black mark on the state," Ijie said.
Yan Warinussy, the defendants' lawyer, said the alleged security threat in Sorong was baseless because it has a large security presence, including police and military.
"This was a fabricated excuse. Sufficient security infrastructure exists in Sorong," he told UCA News.
Indonesian judicial system allows transfer of a trial from one court to another with the approval of the Supreme Court in cases of security risks and natural disasters.
Rights activists say none of the causes was evident in the case of four Papuan prisoners.
UK-based TAPOL, a rights group focused on human rights, peace and democracy in Indonesia, termed the transfer of Papuan prisoners "discriminatory" and noted that such actions are often "only carried out against West Papuans who hold political views that differ from those of the authorities."
"We have recorded the deaths of two West Papuan political prisoners in South Sulawesi – one while undergoing trial in Makassar, the other while serving his sentence in Takalar Prison," the group said in a statement.
Amnesty International documented that 127 Papuans were convicted and eight others were charged with treason between 2019-2025.
The current case shows the Indonesian government's suppression of the peaceful dissent of Papuans, says Usman Hamid from Amnesty International Indonesia office.
"They were convicted for treason, simply for peacefully expressing their political views, something the founding fathers of the Indonesian republic also did when fighting against colonialism," he told UCA News.
Catholic and rights activist Emanuel Gobay of the Papua Legal Aid Foundation said the defendants committed no crime in seeking a peaceful solution, but the state response was excessive.
"It seems the government is moving away from a peaceful path to resolve the conflict in Papua and even defying the 2021 Special Autonomy Law," he told UCA News.
Source: https://www.ucanews.com/news/indonesian-activists-demand-return-of-four-arrested-papuans/11015