Oleh Farid M. Ibrahim – Welcoming December 1, 2019 yesterday, activists from the Free Papua Organisation (OPM) and its supporters in a number of different countries held actions in which they brought and flew the Morning Star independence flag. Several activities were coordinated on social media through the hashtag #GlobalFlagRaising.

Jakarta – The Jayapura municipal police have declared 20 people accused of being Free Papua sympathisers as suspects on charges of makar (treason, subversion, rebellion). The 20 are part of a group of 34 Free Papua sympathisers who were arrested by a joint team from the Jayapura municipal police on Saturday November 30.

Jakarta – The wife of Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) spokesperson Surya Anta, Lucia Fransisca, says that her husband was treated differently from other patients when he underwent a medical examination at the prison clinic.

Jakarta – The Papua Advocacy Team, which is assisting six Papuan activists who have been charged for raising the Morning Star independence flag, say that police committed theft, not legitimate seizure during their client’s arrest. The team believes that the raids, seizures and arrests by police were illegal.

Shinta Maharani, Yogyakarta – Around 100 students from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) along with various other organisations held a protest action demanding a referendum for West Papua at the Gajah Mada University (UGM) traffic circle in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Sunday December 1.

Jakarta – The Jayapura district police (Polres) have arrested 34 people for allegedly planning to celebrate the Free Papua Movement’s (OPM) anniversary on Sunday December 1.

Syahrul Ansyari, Foe Peace Simbolon – Metro Jaya regional police Public Relations Division Head Senior Commissioner Yusri Yunus claims that there were technical errors in the document summoning them to appear as defendants in a pretrial suit submitted by six Papua treason suspects challenging their arrest for flying the Morning Star flag – the s

Jakarta – The handover of the investigation dossiers and the six suspects charged with raising the Morning Star independence flag to the Central Jakarta State Prosecutor’s Office (Kejari Jakpus) is seen as an attempt by police to avoid the pre-trail suit challenging their arrest.

Jakarta – On Monday November 18, the Metro Jaya regional police (Polda Metro Jaya) handed over six suspects charged with raising the Morning Star flag in front of the State Palace in August to the Central Jakarta State Prosecutor’s Office (Kejari Jakpus).

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.

Racism by the ruling class through the security forces and reactionary civil militia groups against the Papuan people has triggered a fight back. The siege and attack on the Papuan student dormitory in the Central Java city of Surabaya on August 16 triggered a wave of anti-racist protests in Papua and across Indonesia.

Walda Marison, Jakarta – On Tuesday October 22 a lawyer from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) submitted a pre-trail suit against the Metro Jaya regional police over the arrest of six Papua activists who were charged with treason for flying the Morning Star independence flag in August.

Jakarta – Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) spokesperson Surya Anta, who has being detained at the Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Depok since September 1, is reportedly ill and is not receiving proper treatment. Anta is said to be suffering from an ear infection and cannot hear out of his right ear.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Ombudsman suspects that there was maladministration in the arrest of Surya Anta and several other Papua activists by the Metro Jaya regional police last week.

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) believes that the police have failed to look at the context when they declared Veronica Koman and Surya Anta suspects. Komnas HAM Deputy Chairperson Sandrayati Moniaga said that both are included in the ranks of human rights defenders.

Reza Gunadha and Yosea Arga Pramudita – Civil Society Coalition for Democracy spokesperson Suarbudaya Rahadian has revealed that Paulus Surya Anta Ginting or Surya Anta has been placed in an isolation cell.

Since the siege on the Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya, a wave of demonstrations by the Papuan people has taken place. Massive protest actions have taken place in at least 14 districts in Papua and West Papua provinces.

Valda Kustarini, Astri Septiani and Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) and the Institute for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy (ELSAM) have criticised the arrest of six Papuan students on charges of makar (treason, subversion, rebellion).

Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) head of organisational development, Febriyonesta, has criticised police for declaring eight people as suspects for flying the Morning Star flag during a protest action in front of the State Palace on August 28.

Jakarta – Scores of students from Papua and West Papua plan to surrender themselves to the Metro Jaya regional police following the arrest of two activists who took part in a rally at the State Palace in Central Jakarta which ended in the raising of the Morning Star flag.