Agustinus Yolemal was arrested at his home at around 8:45 p.m. on 23 August 2018. During the arrest, the Mimika Resort Police did not show an Arrest Order. They also arrested three members of Augustine’s family; his wife, his 6-year-old child, and his sister. After the police ransacked Agustinus’s house and confiscated some evidence, Agustinus and his family were then taken to Mimika Regional Police Station for interrogation. During the examination, the four were not accompanied by their legal authorities. Agustinus’s family was then released, while he was still detained on charges of disseminating information on hatred and hostility through his videos containing free Papuan political support and support from the KNPB organization in August 2018. Agustinus denied this because the video was uploaded on 13 October 2017 and 2016. Mobile phones and laptops seized from Agustinus’s house were used as evidence by the police. The police also confiscated Augustine’s motorized vehicle, even though the object had nothing to do with the alleged case.
Before Augustinus went on trial, the delegation of case files was not immediately notified to his lawyers. In addition, the invitation of the Indictment Session was given the morning before the trial, so Augustine was late in contacting his lawyers. The indictment trial was opened without the lawyer or the agreement of the defendant.
Agustinus is currently serving a sentence in the Mimika Regional Police Detention Center based on a hearing on January 14, 2019. He decided not to appeal to protect the safety of his family, especially his son. Agustinus will finish serving his sentence in September 2019.