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| Asmat man, Papua.
©Jeanne Herbert/Survival |
Two Papuan activists, Filep Karma and Yusuk Pakage, have been sentenced
to 15 and 10 years in prison respectively for raising the Papuan flag
on Papuan independence day', December 1st, 2004. For this crime' they
were charged with treason against the state'.
The sentences were much longer than the five years sought by the
prosecutor – the court extended the jail terms because the two had been
hostile' during the trial. Their detention and trial have already
sparked protests by hundreds of Papuans which have been ruthlessly put
down by police.
Thirty-four other Papuans have been detained under similar
circumstances since 1998. Survival fears for the safety of the two men
as torture and killings are commonplace in Papuan jails.
