JAYAPURA, SUARAPAPUA.com— The arrest of 16 humanitarian activists from the Maubere People’s Front for West Papua (FRMWP) in front of the Indonesian Embassy in Dili, Timor Leste, 4 September 2020 by the national police was tried today, Sunday (6/9/2020).
This was conveyed by Miguel Monsil, the spokesman for the Maubere People’s Front for West Papua (FRMWP) to suarapapua.com, Sunday (6/9/2020) that the 16 activists detained last week went on trial in the Dili Court on Sunday at 10.00 am Timor Leste time.
“With the agenda of hearing the statements of 16 FRMWP activists who were detained last week. They were charged for not obeying Timor Leste’s law in carrying out demonstrations. If guilty, the penalty is 6 months under arrest, ”explained Migi, whose full name is Miguel.
He said the further trial would be held on September 11, 2020, in the afternoon of Timor Leste time with the agenda for the decision of the panel of judges.
“For a time being, the 16 activists have been released from the police cell,” Migi added.
Previously, as many as sixteen activists from the Maubere People’s Front for West Papua were arrested by the Timor Leste National Police when they held an action in front of the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Dili, Friday (4/9/2020).
Miguel Monsil, the Field Coordinator of the Maubere People’s Front for West Papua action to suarapapua.com from Dili, said the action was a follow-up activity carried out by his party from Thursday (3/9/2020).
“Yesterday afternoon was a seminar with the theme of the West Papua issue as a problem for the people of Timor Leste for humanity. So this morning we continued our action at the Indonesian Embassy in Dili. Our action took only 1-2 hours and the police came immediately to arrest them. “We arrested 16 activists from around 60 who were involved in the action,” said Miguel.
Miguel said the arrests were made on the basis of the Timor Leste Law which stipulates that the action to be carried out must be 100 meters away from the Indonesian Embassy in Dili.
“But we do not agree with the law, so we go straight to the Indonesian Embassy,” said Miguel, who is also the spokesman for the Meubere People’s Front for West Papua.
Reporter: Elisa Sekenyap
