2) Meeting postponed, ‘exodus’ students still wait to see Papua Governor
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1) The court should avoid labelled of Indonesian colonialism tool
Published 19 hours ago on 20 January 2020 By Admin1
Jayapura, Jubi – The Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans hopes the panel of judges would be objective and fair in examining the facts during the trial of a mass rampage on 29 August 2019. They said it is crucial acts to avoid perceptions that the Jayapura District Court is only an instrument of Indonesian colonialism against Papuans.
The statement revealed in the press release by the Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans as the legal councillor team of the mass rampage’s defendants. In the hearing held on Wednesday (15/1/2020), the advocate team presented a West Papuan activist for independence Filep Karma as a witness to defend their four clients.
In the press release issued on Thursday (16/1/2010), the Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans declared that Karma’s testimony in the hearing held on Wednesday (15/1/2020) would strengthen the suspicion that the peaceful anti-racism rally on 29 August 2019 turned into a rampage after a group of people provoke the crowds’ mobilisation. They further asked the Jayapura District Court to explore the facts of the trial before convicting the defendants.
“The witness Filep Karma presented by the Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans in the trial against the defendants YL, EH, PK, and DK, revealed new facts [which] confirmed the statements of previous witnesses that the tragedy of arson and riots in Jayapura allegedly carried out by a mobilized group. When the riot occurred at around 3 p.m. Papua time, Filep Karma was on the location of the peace rally, at the intersection of Jayapura City and Dok II,” wrote the Advocate Team in the press release.
In the trial chaired by Judge Maria M Sitanggang, Karma testified that he witnessed a group of people riding motorcycles who seemed to provoke other people by roaring the noise of their motorbikes. Those riders passed a group of students and masses who participated in the peaceful rally.
The Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans also said the witness Karma further stated that he also saw another group riding motorcycles. In this group, he recognized the Deputy Chair of Barisan Merah Putih (Red-and-White Front) Abisai Rolo whom Karma said greeted him.
The Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuan then underlined that Karma testified about the alleged scenario for steering the pacifist student demonstration into a rampage. Therefore, in his opinion, the students who suspected, in this case, are only the scapegoats. Karma also asserted that the rally held peacefully. The demonstrators were obedient, and even amongst the demonstrators were women.
As a Papuan native, Filep Karma also hopes that the Jayapura District Court will be fair to Papuan students and youth, so it can grow trustiness amongst Papuans that the court is not a colonialized instrument of Indonesia.
In their press release, the Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans also stated that during a series of hearing against their clients, it revealed that the docket of case prepared under intimidation and violence. In the hearing of case dossiers against the defendants DK and FE, the witnesses presented by the Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans stated investigators had intimidated and even tortured the defendants during the investigation.
In addition to being tortured during the investigation, some defendants also experienced violence by the authorities before being investigated. Regarding the torture, the Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans said their clients were abused in various ways including kicked on their ribs, spine, ears and knees, slapped on the cheeks, beaten while being handcuffed which caused injuries and pain.
“Based on these facts, the Advocate for Indigenous Papuans expressed their statement and called for the Panel of Judges to consider facts during the trial objectively to prevent assumption that the Jayapura District Court is a tool of Indonesian colonialism against indigenous Papuans.”
Moreover, the Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans urged the Panel of Judges to fully and comprehensively consider the facts of the trial. “From the testimonies of several witnesses, there is a matching fact that the burning had a greater impact, but the police did not reveal this legal fact,” stated the Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans in the press release. (*)
Reporter: Aryo Wisanggeni
Editor: Pipit Maizer
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2) Meeting postponed, ‘exodus’ students still wait to see Papua Governor
Published 19 hours ago on 20 January 2020 By Admin1
The Chairperson of Papuan People’s Assembly Matius Murib during a dialogue with the exodus students’ group at his office’s lawn, Jayapura, Thursday (9/1/2020). -Jubi/Courtesy Papuan People’s Assembly
Jayapura, Jubi – The exodus students’ goal to meet and have a dialogue with Papua Governor and the Chairs of Papuan House of Representatives and Papuan People’s Assembly on Thursday (16/1/2020) had not yet materialized. The Chairperson of Papuan People’s Assembly Timotius Murib, who set up the meeting, announced it has to postpone.
“Last week the students asked [to meet the governor and the House of Representative’s chairperson on] Thursday. But we asked them to wait for the governor to schedule the meeting,” Murib told Jubi in Jayapura on Thursday.
Following the mob’s persecution and racism taunt towards Papuan students in Surabaya on respective 16 and 17 August 2019, thousands of Papuan students studying in various Indonesian regions, have returned home to Papua in exodus wave. The seizure and persecution by security forces and local mobs to their boarding houses and accommodation drove the feeling of unsecured amongst the Papuan students. Therefore, many of them decided to discontinue their study and return home to Papua.
The Papua Police Chief estimated that the number of exodus students coming from various tertiary institutions from external Papua reaches three thousand. By contrast, the Central Post of Exodus Students in Jayapura said their current number is six thousand.
On January 2020, 146 people identified themselves as members of the Central Post of Exodus Students came to the office of Papua’s People Assembly asking the Chairperson Timotius Murib to schedule a meeting with the governor Lukas Enembe and the chairperson of Papuan House of Representative Jhony Banua Row. They said that they wanted to convey their statement regarding the issue of racism towards Papuans through this setup.
The meeting previously scheduled for taking place on Thursday this week, but Murib said it had to postpone due to further acknowledgement from the governor. Furthermore, he said his office (Papuan People’s Assembly) would notify the students if the Papuan Governor is already in Papua because the Governor Enembe also wants to meet the exodus students. Even the governor has tried several times to meet the exodus students but continued to reject by the students.
“In 2019, [when the case of] racism increased, the governor came to Surabaya to meet the students but failed [to meet. After the governor] arrived in Papua, he [had] invited [the exodus students in a meeting], but the students rejected it,” said Murib.
Now, the representatives of the Central Post of Exodus Students asked for a meeting with the Papuan Governor. Personally, Murib said he hopes the meeting would immediately happen. He said it is crucial because it contains the issue of the future of these students, those who expected to become the foundation of Papua’s future.
“Education is more important, because [education will become an investment] of their future and this nation. Therefore, we are waiting for the governor to set up the meeting with the students,” said Murib.
In the meantime, Kaitanus Ikinia from the Central Post of Exodus Students confirmed that the students already received notification about this postponement. “Today is cancelled. [We knew] after communicating with the Papuan People’s Assembly,” Ikinia texted Jubi on Thursday. (*)
Reporter: Hengky Yeimo
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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