Ex-tapol Filep Karma shocked at prosecutor's racist treatment of Victor Yeimo

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Suara Papua – August 29, 2021
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Former political prisoner and pro-independence activist Filep Karma – Undated (SP)
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Jayapura – Former Papuan political prisoner (tapol) Filep Karma has also joined with activists and Victor Yeimo's family when along with Yeimo's lawyer they went to the private residence of the Papua chief public prosecutor in the Doc 5 area of Jayapura city on the evening of Saturday August 28.

Karma revealed that he felt shocked at the attitude of the public prosecutor who is still showing his racism towards Yeimo despite the panel of judges at a hearing at the Jayapura District Court on Thursday August 26 ordering the prosecutor to facilitate the defendant in obtaining his right to healthcare, namely a follow up examination and inpatient care at a hospital.

Just like before and despite being urged by several parties over the last two days following the court's ruling, the chief public prosecutor has not demonstrated good faith.

Moreover when Yeimo was being examined by a medical team at the Jayapura pubic hospital on the evening of Friday August 27, the prosecutor accompanied by security personnel put pressure on Yeimo not to be treated overnight and was then returned to the Papua regional police Mobile Brigade command headquarters detention centre where he has been detained since his arrest.

Yeimo's lawyer, who is part of the Papua Law Enforcement and Human Rights Coalition (KPHHP), has already met all of the administrative requirements for Yeimo's hospital treatment including providing guarantors from the Papuan Regional House of Representatives (DPRP) – legislators John NR Gobai and Laurenzus Kadepa, as well as an advocate.

"Legal affairs in Indonesia are indeed like this, excessively long-winded. Indonesia does not regard life as important, but procedures are more important than people's lives", he said.

Karma also feels that the prosecutor's actions are strange, especially because ipso facto they are an indigenous Papuan who has not heeded the order by the panel of judges during the hearing on Thursday.

"Because the prosecutor is a Papuan, he's afraid of being labeled as included towards Papuan independence. So, he will try to show that he is more nationalist than the Javanese. Yet in the eyes of the Javanese he's just a monkey. I lived in Java for a long time, so I have felt this", said Karma.

Yeimo must be treated first because, according to Karma, a suspect and a defendant is guaranteed by law to receive treatment if they are ill.

"What we want this evening is for brother Victor Yeimo to be allowed to be treated in hospital. But this has not happened because of other considerations and they say they are following legal procedures", he said.

Because of efforts to get Yeimo treated in hospital have not borne fruit, Karma is calling on all Papuans to surrender his fate to God.

"We will cool our passionate hearts, let us rise in hymen and prayer. Myself and all of us exist not just because of power, but rather because Jesus who lived before us, today and forever. I invite us all to rise in prayer for Victor tonight, assured and trusting in Jesus to save him", said Karma.

KPHHP litigation coordinator and Yeimo's lawyer Emanuel Gobay believes that the Papua chief public prosecutor's response to Gobai and Kadepa when he met with them at his private residence was different from the court's ruling that his client receive inpatient treatment because his state of health has deteriorated while being detained at the Mobile Brigade detention centre.

"We have heard the chief public prosecutor's response. If seen from the court's ruling, there is difference in how it’s seen. What the chief public prosecutor has conveyed proves that he does not respect the judges' ruling at the Abepura Class IIA District Court. The public prosecutor has gone against the court's order", asserted Gobay.

Speaking in front of Yeimo's family and activists gathered in front of the prosecutor's private residence at 8 am, Gobay said that Yeimo's lawyers would accompany him at the next hearing on Tuesday. His guarantors, Gobai and Kadepa will also attend the hearing.

[Translated by James Balowski. Slightly abridged due to repetition. The original title of the article was "Filep Karma Heran Jaksa Masih Hambat Victor Yeimo Dirawat".]

Source: https://suarapapua.com/2021/08/29/filep-karma-heran-jaksa-masih-hambat-victor-yeimo-dirawat/

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