Demonstrators wearing protective face masks hold signs during a protest demanding Papua's political prisoners to be released without conditions, in front of the Supreme Court building in Jakarta, Indonesia June 15, 2020. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
The claims of escalating intimidation come as a court in Balikpapan on Indonesian Borneo is expected to rule on a case against seven West Papuans who face between five and 17 years in prison on charges of treason for their purported involvement in anti-racist protests in August last year. The defendants were arrested in Jayapura, Papua, last year but moved to a jail in Balikpapan for security reasons.Activists have drawn parallels between the treason trial and the Black Lives Matter movement, which has sparked the hashtag #PapuanLivesMatter and led to a series of online forums about perceived racism in Indonesia.
Yuliana Yabansabra, a lawyer defending the seven West Papuans says she was attacked last week by an unidentified motorcyclist, who allegedly punched her in the head while she was driving.
I believe them. Indonesia is autocratic. We