2) Surya Anta’s lawyer disappointed with police no show at first pre-trial hearing
3) Islamic party asks Prabowo to be on guard against missionaries in Papua
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1) Protesters demand Surya Anta’s release as pre-trial suit hearing opens in Jakarta
CNN Indonesia – November 11, 2019
FMB solidarity action at South Jakarta District Court – November 11, 2019 (CNN)
Jakarta – Scores of students from the United Student Front (FMB) held an action at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday November 11. The students from Papua, Jakarta and other parts of the country were protesting the arrest of six Papua activists – including Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) spokesperson Surya Anta Ginting – who were attending a pre-trial suit at the court today.
Holding posters with calls for their release, they also wrote the names of each of the Papua activists who have been charged with makar (treason, subversion, rebellion) and are currently being detained at the Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Kelapa Dua, Depok.
The six Papua activists are Paulus Surya Anta Ginting, Anes Tabuni, Charles Kossay, Ambrosius Mulait, Isay Wenda and Arina Elopere. Five of the activists, with the exception of Anta, are students.
“Free Charles Kossay” read one of the posters with a black background. In addition to protesting in front of the South Jakarta District Court, several student representatives took part in observing Anta’s pre-trial hearing from inside the court room.
Protest coordinator Sutito Yofanka invited all civil society groups to join in calling for the release of the six activists.
“These demands are in response to the current political upheaval. We leave it up to civil society elements from university students, workers, farmers, fisherpeople, the urban poor, high-school students to other civil society groups. Let us join together to build an alternative political force as a challenge [to the establishment]”, said Tito – as Yofanka is known – in front of the court on Monday.
There were 11 other demands taken up by the students, seven of which were the same as those taken up by the wave of mass protests that broke out around the country in late September.
Aside from demanding the release of the Papua activists, the other demands were against the criminalisation of the student movement and urging the police to immediately provide access to data on the victims of the repression against the protesting university students, high-school students and civil society activists in September.
The students also claimed that information on the fate of several of their colleagues is still unclear and the data held by several civil society organisations is conflicting.
These demands were also articulated because they relate to threats against freedom of expression and opinion. The arrest and detention of the six Papua activists are also seen as one of the methods used by the repressive state to crack down on the people’s movements.
“With all the tools that the authorities have, the movement is being silenced by various means. Starting with the arrest of Papua activists, the mass arrest of students during the September 23-30 protest actions to the killing of students”, said the FMB in a written statement.
The FMB is an alliance of students from various universities including the Bung Karno University, the Jakarta Political and Social Sciences Institute (IISIP Jakarta), the National University, the Pancasila University, the Perbanas Institute, the PGRI Indraprasta University (Unindra) and the Gunadarma University. (ika)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Demo Mahasiswa Warnai Sidang Aktivis Papua Surya Anta”.]
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2) Surya Anta’s lawyer disappointed with police no show at first pre-trial hearing
Kompas.com – November 11, 2019
Walda Marison, Jakarta – The first pre-trial suit hearing involving Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) spokesperson Surya Anta Ginting and five other Papua activists charged with raising the Morning Star flag in front of the State Palace in late August has been postponed.
The hearing, which was to be held at the South Jakarta District Court today on November 11, was postponed because the Metro Jaya regional police (Polda Metro Jaya) as the accused party failed to appear.
“The hearing is postponed by two weeks, until the 25th because the Polda Metro Jaya has not appeared”, said Judge Agus Widodo at the hearing.
However one of the members of the legal team representing Anta and the other suspects, Michael Himan, asked the judges to shorten the postponement to one week.
“If we may, Your Honour. After we submitted the pre-trial [suit] it was not me who contested it, but I want to ask if it is possible for it to be sped up?”, asked Himan.
The judges however stood by their opinion that the next hearing would be held on November 25.
Responding to the postponement, lawyer Oky Wiratama Siagian, who is one of Anta’s legal team members, admitted to feeling disappointed with the police’s failure to appear saying that they are ignoring the pre-trial suit.
Siagian even cited a statement by the Metro Jaya police who earlier said that they were ready to attend the hearing.
“The other day the Polda Metro Jaya said that they were ready to face the pre-trial hearing. But as it turns out they didn’t come to the first hearing”, he said.
Siagian added that he hopes that the police will be cooperative and attend the next hearing.
On October 22, Siagian, acting as the legal council from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), submitted a pre-trial suit with the South Jakarta District Court, which was designated the number 133/PID.PRA/2019/PN.JKT.SEL.
Siagian explained that the reason that they were submitting a pre-trial suit was because the arrest and indictment of the six Papua activists, including Anta, was illegal. According to Siagian, the arrests should have been preceded by a summons to appear as witnesses.
“The procedure for arrests is that they be preceded by a summons as a witness. Our clients were never summoned as witnesses and then abruptly arrested and immediately named suspects. This is what we are protesting in the appeal”, said Siagian earlier at the South Jakarta District Court.
It should be, continued Siagian that the police refer to Criminal Investigation Bureau Chief Regulation Number 3/2014 on Standard Operating Procedures on Conducting Criminal Investigations (Perkaba 3/2014) before making an arrest.
“Many procedures during the raids were illegal because they didn’t have a warrant from the local district court. They were conducted without being witnessed by two witnesses from the local RT [neighbourhood association head] and RW [community unit head]. The seizures were illegal. We allege that what was done by the accused [the police] against our clients was theft not confiscation”, he said.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Kuasa Hukum Surya Anta Cs Kecewa dengan Sikap Polda Metro Jaya”.]
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3) Islamic party asks Prabowo to be on guard against missionaries in Papua
CNN Indonesia – November 11, 2019
Jakarta – A representative of the Islamic-based Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS), Jazuli Juwaini, has asked Defense Minister (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto to pay more attention to missionaries or religious leaders in Papua. He is claims to be concerned that these religious figures are actually carrying out a mission other than spreading religion.
Juwaini conveyed this concern during the first working meeting between the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I and Prabowo at the DPR building in Jakarta on Monday November 11.
“My apologies Pak [Mr] Menhan, we don’t want to touch on something which is sensitive in Papua, [but] there are many aircraft transporting missionaries and the Papuan (security forces) are having difficulties checking them”, said Juwaini.
Juwaini asserted that he himself does not feel anxious about missions to spread certain religions in Papua because this is not what is of concern.
He said that his party is worried that there are religious missionaries arriving in Papua but they do not have a specific mission. According to Juwaini, in safeguarding and maintaining a favourable security situation in Papua it is reasonable that Prabowo monitor these missionaries in the land of the Cenderawasih – as Papua is known.
“What we are concerned about is (not) the issue of people spreading religion but what worries us is there are people acting in the name of missionaries but who have another agenda in Papua who become trouble makers, it could happen, we don’t want to make accusations, but it must be checked”, he explained.
Juwaini also proposed that Prabowo increase the number of troops in Papua in the context of safeguarding security so it remains favourable. Additional personnel are deemed necessary bearing in mind the size of Papua.
“I think the number of personnel needs to be increased, if seen for example from the size [of Papua] and the huge challenge of prosperity because of the high prices there”, he said.
Soldiers’ welfare
Meanwhile a representative from Prabowo’s Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) faction, Sugiono, asked Prabowo to consider improving the welfare of soldiers on duty in Papua and West Papua provinces.
According to the Gerindra deputy chairperson, improving the welfare of personnel on duty in Papua cannot be compared with other regions such as Kalimantan or Java because the high cost of living in Papua.
Sugiono also said that the problems in Papua and West Papua are not just related to security. He is convinced that one of the factors is local people’s level of economic prosperity.
Upon hearing this, Prabowo appeared enthusiastic. He repeatedly wrote down notes on paper he had brought to the meeting and often nodded his head as Sugiono conveyed his views.
This was the first working meeting between Prabowo and the DPR since he was entrusted with the post of Defense Minister in President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s new Working Cabinet in October.
Prabowo was accompanied by Deputy Defense Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono. Prabowo’s spokesperson, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, also accompanied the former army special forces (Kopassus) commander. (tst)
[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “PKS Minta Prabowo Waspadai Gerak-gerik Misionaris di Papua”.]
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