Amid Crackdown, Indonesia Arrests Papuan Independence Leader
Victor Yeimo stands accused of organizing the wave of violent pro-independence protests that hit the region in August 2019.
May 11, 2021
Victor Yeimo as seen in a photo posted on his Facebook page on December 10, 2020.
Credit: Facebook/Victor Yeimo
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Indonesian authorities have arrested a Papuan independence leader for his alleged role in orchestrating a spate of civil unrest in 2019, the latest sign of the central government’s growing crackdown in the eastern region. According to a report by Reuters, Victor Yeimo, 38, was arrested in the provincial capital of Jayapura on Sunday, national police spokesperson Iqbal Alqudusy said.
Asia PacificIndonesian police arrest Papuan independence figure for suspected treason
Reuters
3 minute read
Indonesian authorities have arrested Papuan independence leader Victor Yeimo over accusations that he orchestrated some of the most serious civil unrest in decades that broke out in 2019, police said on Monday.
Tension has reignited in recent weeks in Indonesia s easternmost provinces, with President Joko Widodo calling for a crackdown after a senior intelligence figure was shot dead late last month, and with an additional 400 troops deployed there. read more
Yeimo, 38, who is the international spokesman of the West Papua National Committee, was arrested in the provincial capital of Jayapura on Sunday and is being questioned, said national police spokesman Iqbal Alqudusy.
A leading figure in West Papua s independence movement has been arrested by Indonesian police in relation to large protests in 2019.
Victor Yeimo is the foreign spokesman for the West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, which has a large following in the Indonesian-ruled provinces of Papua region.
Victor Yeimo of the West Papua National Committee
Photo: Info West Papua
Yeimo has been on a police wanted list for treason suspects related to his alleged role in the widespread anti-racism protests in August and September 2019.
The protests in a number of cities and towns in the region followed highly publicised racist attacks on Papuan students in Java.
Indonesian authorities have arrested Papuan independence leader Victor Yeimo, a police spokesman said, over accusations that he orchestrated some of the most serious civil unrest in decades in 2019.
Yeimo, who is the international spokesman of the West Papua National Committee, was arrested in the provincial capital of Jayapura on Sunday and is being questioned, Iqbal Alqudusy told the Reuters news agency on Monday.
Police accuse the 38-year-old of being the “mastermind” behind protests that broke out in 2019 and of committing treason, as well as inciting violence and social unrest, insulting the national flag and anthem, and carrying weapons without a permit.