Jayapura – The Makassar city Papuan People's University and High School Student Forum of Concern (FSM-PRP) is urging the Sorong city District Police to release four Federal State of the Republic of West Papua (NFRPB) activists who were arrested and charged with makar (treason, subversion, rebellion) for distributing letters to a number of government agencies in Southwest Papua province recently.
The four NFRPB activists who have been charged are Nikson Mau, Maks Sangkek, Abraham Goram Gaman and Piter Robaha.
According to Papuan students in Makassar, South Sulawesi, the distribution of the letters by four NRFPB activists on April 14 was a democratic act, was done in good faith, was friendly, and deserves to be respected, not responded to with arrests and charges of makar.
"The criminalisation of the four Papuan political activists shows that the state continues to repress the right to freedom of expression, opinion and assembly, and conveying opinions. They were arrested just for conveying peaceful political aspirations by visiting Southwest Papua government offices without the use of violence, which should be protected as mandated by the 1945 Constitution", said Makassar West Papua National Committee (KNPB) Chairperson Andarias Sondegau in a statement set to Suara Papua on Thursday May 5.
According to Sondegau, peaceful expression is guaranteed by the Indonesian Constitution and is not a criminal offense.
"The expression of peaceful political aspirations is not hate speech as alleged by the police. The law enforcement officials are again using charges of makar to silence expression by Papuan activists. Expressing, conveying an opinion in public is part of the human rights protected by Article 28E of the 1945 Constitution. Therefore don't arbitrary detain and charge activists", he said.
If Indonesia wants to end the conflict in the land of Papua, it should be done by dialogue, not silencing a peaceful democratic protest.
Resolving Papua's problems, he said can only be done through peaceful dialogue, as was done by the NRFPB activists, and by upholding justice instead of a repressive approach, not additional budget spending, and not by creating new autonomous regions (DOB).
Nor by the addition to the already excessive number of military troops, combat equipment and behaviour that does not bring justice or peace to the land of Papua.
"We believe that the progressive move by the NRFPB activists should be appreciated, not instead discriminated against, let alone subject to nonsensical [criminal] articles. Because we need to know that the action was born from the reality of the objective situation in Papua, not just made up".
"Dialog is needed to end the violence in the land of Papua!", he said
Therefore the FSM-PRP declares that:
- We urge the Indonesian National Police in the city of Sorong to immediately and unconditionally release the four people.
- Stop the intimidation and terror against activists who fight for justice, independence and peace.
- The state must immediately open a dialogue as proposed by the four NRFPB activists in Sorong to end the conflict in the Land of Papua, not add to the already excessive number of military apparatus.
- Release Papua political activists in Sorong arrested on charges of treason. Amnesty Statement – May 15, 2025
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Mahasiswa Papua di Makassar Mendesak Polisi Sorong Membebasakan Empat Aktivis NFRPB Tanpa Syarat".]
