Buchtar Tabuni Buchtar Tabuni – Papuans Behind Bars

Update:
He was arrested without arrest warrant on the afternoon of 9 September 2019 while he was gardening behind his home. The arrest was conducted with excessive use of force involving a helicopter, electricity was cut off then troops storming in and breaking doors while shooting. He is one of the most prominent pro-independence leaders in West Papua and is currently the head of National Parliament of West Papua. This is the third time he is being imprisoned for his political activity. Police accuse him as the intellectual actor behind the uprising and charge with Articles 106, 110, and 160 of the Criminal Code. Tabuni told his lawyer that on 15 August he met another pro-independence activist on 15 August 2019 and later made a public statement on his Facebook account he would not be involved in any anti-racism protests because he did not believe it could lead to an independence.

On 4 October 2019, Buchtar Tabuni and six other prisoners were transferred from Papua Regional Police Detention Center, Jayapura, Papua Province to East Kalimantan Province for “security reasons”. This transfer was in breach of Indonesian criminal procedure law; it was conducted, inter alia, without informing their lawyers and families, and without the requisite approval from the Supreme Court. Further to these breaches, the transfer has resulted in a significant increase in legal aid costs (due to the airfares needed to attend each trial), and has cut the prisoners off from their families and culture.

He was detained in Balikpapan Prison Class IIB, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Province until August 2020.

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Buchtar Tabuni is a well-known political activist for West Papuan independence. He was formerly the leader of the West Papua National Committee (Komisi Nasional Papua Barat, KNPB), a group that has organised mass demonstrations in cities across West Papua with the central demand of a referendum on independence for West Papua. His activism has made him a repeated target for the Indonesian regime and he has been sentenced to prison twice.

Mr Tabuni was arrested for the first time on 3 December 2008 by the police Criminal Investigation Department, without a warrant. The arrest was related to a peaceful demonstration he had organised on 16 October earlier that year in support of the launch of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua in London on the same day. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) reported that Mr Tabuni was charged with treason under Articles 106 and 110 of the Indonesian Penal Code, together with Article 160 (incitement) and Articles 212 and 216 (resistance to authority) as subsidiary charges.

Both before and after the verdict Mr Tabuni was subjected to physical violence on several occasions. For example, while still in police detention, no water was available for washing or drinking. When Mr Tabuni complained he was struck by a policeman, and afterwards his lawyer was refused access to visit him at the police station. This incident was reported by the Alliance of Democracy for Papua (ALDP) and the Free West Papua Campaign.

Another incident, documented by the AHRC, occurred when Mr Tabuni was transferred from the police station to Abepura Prison. On arrival at the prison he was beaten by an official causing severe injuries to his eye. Six other political prisoners reacted to this by filing a complaint with the Prison Governor, after which they were also beaten. All seven men were held in a cramped isolation cell (trapsel) with no access to food or water for four days. Human Rights Watch documented another incident in November 2009 where Mr Tabuni was attacked by three soldiers, one policeman and one prison guard, causing him to bleed profusely from his head. The Prison Governor refused to allow him to be treated in a hospital.

When the panel of judges finally handed down their judgement on 3 July 2009, Mr Tabuni was found not guilty of the primary charge of treason. However, just as the defence team were raising their fists in celebration, the judge continued, finding Buchtar guilty of the subsidiary charge of incitement and sentencing him to three years in prison. In ALDP’s report of the sentencing, Iwan Niode, an ALDP lawyer and part of Mr Tabuni’s legal team, wondered if the judges gave this strange and unexpected verdict because they lacked the courage to release Tabuni directly. He also pointed out that to find someone guilty of incitement, it should be clear which crime they were alleged to be inciting people to commit, which remained unspecified.

On 3 December 2010, while Mr Tabuni was still in prison, a former prisoner called Miron Wetipo was shot dead. Reports of this incident are conflicting; some sources report that the shooting occurred as he was escaping from prison, others that it occurred during a sweeping operation in Abepura. The police and prison officials have never given their version of events. Nevertheless, when news of the shooting spread through the prison a riot broke out and angry inmates damaged the prison. Mr Tabuni was blamed for inciting the riot, along with fellow political prisoner Filep Karma and three other prisoners charged with criminal offences. Mr Tabuni has always maintained that he was instead trying to mediate and keep the situation calm, by conveying to the authorities the prisoners’ demand to bring Miron Wetipo’s body to the prison and find his killer.

The five men accused of inciting the riot were transferred from the prison to the Papuan police headquarters, where according to a report published by West Papua Media Alerts, they were denied food and water for several days, and families and friends were denied access. Mr Tabuni was held in the police station for several weeks, unsure of whether he was being held as a convicted prisoner or awaiting trial for new charges from the riot. In a letter from prison, he explained that he was suffering from gastric problems and other health issues as a result of the inadequate food. Amnesty International issued an Urgent Alert at this time, concerned that Mr Tabuni was at serious risk of being tortured while in solitary confinement in the police headquarters.

Mr Tabuni was offered remission on 17 August 2011, Indonesia’s Independence day. He chose to accept this offer of release but continued his role as leader of the KNPB.

Almost one year later on 6 June 2012, Mr Tabuni was arrested again together with two other KNPB activists, after leaving a meeting at the Papuan Provincial Parliament (DPRP) building. Assa Alua, one of the other two men arrested, told news website Suarapapua.com that the three men were beaten and tortured from the moment of their arrest, that they were not allowed to telephone a lawyer and that police tried to force them to confess that they were involved in recent shooting incidents. The following day, Detiknews reported that according to the Vice-Head of Provincial Police, Paulus Waterpauw, Tabuni was suspected of various violent actions, including the fatal stabbing of two people.

When lawyers were finally allowed to contact the three men it became clear that Mr Tabuni was in fact being charged in connection with the prison riot eighteen months previously. The police have offered no explanation for the lengthy delay in following up this case, and why the charges brought differed so widely from those printed in the press at the time, in which police suggested that Tabuni was a murder suspect.

The context of Mr Tabuni’s second arrest may be connected to the fact that the KNPB had organised several powerful demonstrations during previous weeks. Reports in local newspaper Bintang Papua chronicled how over recent weeks police had issued several summons to Mr Tabuni to impose controls on the demonstrations, and threatened his arrest if he refused to attend.

In addition to this, a chain of mysterious shootings had been occurring on an almost daily basis in Jayapura at the time, causing fear and tension across the city. The statement of Paulus Waterpauw appeared to implicate Mr Tabuni in these shootings, and some media outlets (eg VivaNews) reported him as being under suspicion. One week later, when plain clothes police assassinated another KNPB leader, Mako Tabuni, many press reports cited police sources blaming Mako and the KNPB for the shootings. However, Buchtar Tabuni’s second trial focused only on the prison riot; no charges have so far been brought regarding either KNPB demonstrations or the shooting incidents.

Mr Tabuni was tried for the second time and convicted under article 170 of the Indonesian Penal Code which relates to violence against persons or property. He was sentenced to eight months in prison. Dominggus Pulalo was also tried for this offence; he had been imprisoned on non-political charges in 2010 and was also accused of rioting in the prison. One of his lawyers, Gustaf Kawer was reported in Bintang Papua highlighting the lack of evidence for this conviction, as key witnesses including former Prison Governor Liberty Sitinjak did not appear to give evidence in the trial. In an article published by ALDP, Gustaf Kawer also notes that the evidence of one of the five witnesses who did testify was used despite the fact that it had been revoked. He also questioned the use of article 170, which refers to violence to people or property conducted by “united forces” (ie a number of people). The requirement that the crime be proven to be a joint action was ignored by the court, he said.

A number of reports have been published describing repression of activists during the trial. Tabloid Jubi reported that KNPB members had received threatening phonecalls and text messages, warning them to stay away from the trial. Then on 23 July 2012, Bintang Papua reported that former political prisoner Yusak Pakage was arrested while attending a trial hearing as an observer. Frustrated by the proceedings, he kicked over a waste bin, spilling some chewed Betel nut on the clothing of a court official. While this was the incident which seemed to trigger arrest, he was later held under emergency laws for possession of a weapon (a penknife). Amnesty International issued an urgent appeal in support of Mr Pakage after learning that he had been threatened with torture, and interrogated about his political activities and efforts to raise money to support sick political prisoners. The KNPB has also claimed that at the hearing on 6 August 2012, police tried to arrest another of their leaders Victor Yeimo for unknown reasons, however Yeimo managed to escape on a motorbike.

Buchtar Tabuni was reportedly released from prison on 19 January 2013 after completing his sentence.

Sources

Aliansi Demokrasi untuk Papua, “Buchtar Tabuni Divonis Delapan Bulan Penjara,” 25 September 2012, http://www.aldp-papua.com/?p=6127

Aliansi Demokrasi Untuk Papua, “Vonis 3 Tahun Penjara, Keputusan Musyawarah yang Menggelisahkan,” 10 July 2009, http://andawat-papua.blogspot.com/2009/07/vonis-3-tahun-penjara-keputusan.html (text colour same as background colour: to read the article select the text)

Aliansi Demokrasi Untuk Papua, “Pemukulan Buchtar Tabuni, Bukti Buruknya Penegakan Hukum di Indonesia”, 24 January 2009, http://andawat-papua.blogspot.com/2009/01/pemukulan-buchtar-tabuni-bukti-buruknya.html (text colour same as background colour: to read the article select the text)

Amnesty International, “Urgent Action ASA 21/032/2012,” 24 August 2012, https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA21/032/2012/en/1506e780-3c71-46f0-9057-94f41d8016ba/asa210322012en.html

Amnesty International, Urgent Action ASA21/001/2011, 12 January 2011, https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA21/001/2011/en/25845977-cc75-4098-846a-0ec8018fbd0a/asa210012011en.html

Asian Human Rights Commission, “Torture and maltreatment of political prisoners in Papua,” 16 February 2009, http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-014-2009/

Asian Human Rights Commission, “Rights activist Buktar Tabuni arrested after peaceful protests,” 10 December 2008, http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-262-2008

Bintang Papua, “Lawyer calls on judges to release Buchtar after all witnesses fail to appear,” 11 September 2012, (posted on West Papua Media Alerts) http://westpapuamedia.info/2012/09/12/lawyer-calls-on-judges-to-release-buchtar-after-all-witnesses-fail-to-appear/

Bintang Papua, “Yusak Pakage Dejerat UU Darurat,” 28 July 2012, http://bintangpapua.com/headline/25316-yusak-pakage-dijerat-uu-darurat

Bintang Papua, KNPB Tetap Berkeras, 10 April 2012, http://bintangpapua.com/headline/21587-knpb-tetap-berkeras-

Detiknews, “Pimpinan organisasi di Papuaditangkap usai audiensi di DPRP,” 7 June 2012, http://news.detik.com/read/2012/06/07/151958/1935457/10/pimpinan-organisasi-di-papua-ditangkap-usai-audiensi-di-dprd

Free West Papua Campaign, “News from the prison Sebby Sambom and Buchtar Tabuni were isolated from their lawyers,” [undated], http://www.freewestpapua.org/index.php/news/866–news-from-the-prison-sebby-sambom-and-buchtar-tabuni-were-isolated-from-their-lawyers-

Human Rights Watch, “Prosecuting Political Aspiration,” June 23 2010, http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/indonesia0610webwcover_0.pdf

KNPB News, “Victor Yeimo Nyaris Ditangkap, 2 Aktivis Ditangkap dan Diintrogasi Polisi,” 6 August 2012, http://knpbnews.com/blog/archives/594

Kontras Papua, “Buchtar Tabuni Bebas,” 18 August 2011, http://www.trunity.net/kontraspapua/news/view/169204/?topic=56138

Suarapapua.com, “Alua: Kami Dipaksa Mengaku Sebagai Pelaku Penembakan,” 9 June 2012, http://www.suarapapua.com/index.php/en/2012-01-08-11-46-42/277-alua-kami-dipaksa-mengaku-sebagai-pelaku-penembakan

Suara Pembaruan, “Polisi Ungkap Mako Tabuni Pelaku Penembakan Misterius,” 25 June 2012, http://www.suarapembaruan.com/home/polisi-ungkap-mako-tabuni-pelaku-penembakan-misterius/21650

Tabloid Jubi, “Insiden Pengrusakan LP Abepura Versi Buchtar Tabuni,” 17 September 2012, http://tabloidjubi.com/index.php/interviews-indepth-stories/20688-insiden-pengrusakan-lp-abepura-versi-buchtar-tabuni

Tabloid Jubi, “KNPB Members unable to Attend Trial of Buchtar Tabuni,” 18 July 2012, (posted by West Papua Media Alerts), http://westpapuamedia.info/2012/07/20/knpb-members-unable-to-attend-trial-of-buchtar-tabuni/

Viva News, “Kekerasan di Papua, Buchtar Tabuni Ditangkap,” 7 June 2012, http://us.nasional.news.viva.co.id/news/read/322183-kekerasan-di-papua–buchtar-tabuni-ditangkap

West Papua Media Alerts, “Buchtar Tabuni released from Abepura prison after completing sentence,” 19 January 2013, http://westpapuamedia.info/2013/01/19/buchtar-tabuni-released-from-abepura-prison-after-completing-sentence/

West Papua Media Alerts, “Police Issues Ultimatum to Buchtar Tabuni,” 6 April 2012, http://westpapuamedia.info/2012/04/10/police-issues-ultimatum-to-buchtar-tabuni/

West Papua Media Alerts, “Buchtar Tabuni complains to police chief about his treatment,” 18 January 2011, http://westpapuamedia.info/2011/01/27/buchtar-tabuni-complains-to-police-chief-about-his-tratment/

West Papua Media Alerts, “West Papuan political prisoners denied food for 2 days,” 9 December 2010, http://westpapuamedia.info/2010/12/09/west-papuan-political-prisoners-denied-food-for-2-days/

Buchtar Tabuni adalah seorang aktivis perjuangan kemerdekaan Papua Barat yang terkemuka. Dia merupakan bekas ketua Komisi Nasional Papua Barat (KNPB), sebuah kelompok yang telah berkali–kali mengorganisasi demonstrasi damai diseantara Papua Barat dengan seruan utama meminta Referendum untuk kemerdekaan Papua Barat. Posisinya sebagai seorang aktivis terkemuka menjadikannya sebagai target penting berulang kali bagi penguasaan Indonesia, dan pada saat ini sedang menjalani penahanannya yang kedua di lembaga permasyarakatan.

Tabuni ditahan pertama kali pada tanggal 3 Desember 2008 oleh Polisi Investigasi Kriminal tanpa surat penahanan. Penangkapan tersebut terhubung dengan dirinya mengorganisasi demonstrasi damai pada tanggal 16 Oktober pada tahun yang sama dalam rangka mendukung peluncuran International Parliamentarians for West Papua di London pada hari yang sama. Komisi Hak Asasi Manusia Asia (AHRC) melaporkan bahwa Tabuni dikenakan tuduhan makar pasal 106 dan 110 KUHP, juga dengan Pasal 160 (penghasutan), dan Pasal 212 dan 216 sebagai tuduhan tambahan.

Baik sebelum dan sesudah mendapat keputusan dari hakim, Tabuni terus dikenakan kekerasan fisik pada beberapa kejadian. Misalnya, selama dalam penahanan polisi, kebutuhan dasar seperti air minum dan untuk mencuci tidak disediakan. Tabuni melaporkan bahwa dirinya telah dipukul oleh seorang dari pihak kepolisian, dan selanjutnya kuasa hukumnya tidak diperbolehkan untuk mengunjunginya ke tempat penahanan polisi. Kejadian ini dilaporkan oleh Aliansi Demokrasi untuk Papua (ALDP) dan Free West Papua Campaign.

Dalam suatu kejadian lainnya yang didokumentasikan oleh AHRC, setelah Tabuni dipindahkan dari kantor polisi ke Lembaga Permasyarakatan Abepura, kedatangannya pada penjara tersebut disambut dengan pihak berwenang dengan menyebabkan luka–luka parah pada bagian mata dia. 6 tahanan politik lainnya bereaksi terhadap kejadian itu dengan melaporkan kejadian ini kepada Sipir Penjara, hanya untuk akhirnya juga mendapat pemukulan. Ketujuh orang tersebut lalu ditahan di trapsel (penjara terisolasi kecil) tanpa makanan dan minuman selama empat hari. Human Rights Watch juga menunjukkan pada kejadian lainnya pada bulan November 2009 Tabuni diserang oleh tiga tentara, satu polisi, dan satu satpam penjara, yang mengakibatkan dirinya mengalami luka parah dibagian kepala. Sipir penjara tidak mengizinkan dirinya dirawat di rumah sakit.

Saat majelis hakim akhirnya mengeluarkan keputusan mereka pada tanggal 3 Juli 2009, Tabuni ditemukan tidak bersalah dalam tuduhan makar. Tetapi, seraya pihak terdakwa merayakan kemenangan mereka mendengar kabar baik tersebut, Hakim yang bersangkutan melanjutkan keputusan lainnya yang menetapkan Buchtar bersalah atas tuduhan penghasutan dan menetapkan hukuman penjara tiga tahun baginya. Dalam laporan ALDP mengenai putusan hukuman, Iwan Niode, pengacara ALDP dan juga anggota kuasa hukum Tabuni bertanya–tanya kemungkinan bahwa apakah pihak hakim memberikan keputusan yang aneh dan tak terduga hanya karena tidak berani melepas bebas Tabuni secara langsung. Niode juga menunjukkan bahwa untuk dapat dinyatakan bersalah atas tuduhan penghasutan, seharusnya sudah jelas kejahatan apa yang mereka dituduh menghasutkan orang lain melakukan, dimana pada kasus ini tidak dijelaskan.

Pada tanggal 3 Desember 2010, saat Tabuni masih menjalani masa penahanan di penjara, seorang mantan tawanan bernama Miron Wetipo tertembak mati. Laporan–laporan mengenai insiden ini saling berkontradiksi; beberapa sumber melaporkan peristiwa penembakan berlangsung saat Wetipo sedang mencoba kabur dari penjara, laporan lainnya mengatakan peristiwa tersebut terjadi saat pihak keamanan Abepura melakukan sweeping. Pihak kepolisian dan pihak penjara tidak pernah memberi penjelasan tentang kejadian ini. Berita penembakan tersebut lalu menyebar ke seluruh penjara dan kerusuhan pun tidak dapat dihindarkan yang mengakibatkan tawanan yang tidak terkonrol merusak fasilitas penjara. Tabuni dituduh sebagai penghasut kerusuhan tersebut bersama dengan napol lainnya bernama Filep Karma, dan tiga tawanan lainnya. Tabuni berusaha menjelaskan sebaliknya bahwa dirinya selalu mencoba menengahi kedua pihak dan mencoba menenangkan suasana dengan meminta kepada pihak berwenang dipenjara untuk membawa jasad Miron Wetipo kembali ke penjara dan untuk menemukan pelaku penembakan.

Kelima orang yang dituduh menghasut kerusuhan tersebut lalu dipindahkan dari penjara ke Polda Papua, dimana menurut laporan yang diterbitkan West Papua Media Alerts, mereka tidak diberi makanan dan minumam selama beberapa hari, dan juga tidak dibolehkan menemui keluarga dan sahabat. Tabuni ditahan dimarkas polisi selama beberapa minggu, tanpa penjelasan bahwa apakah dirinya ditahan sebagai tawanan penjara ataukah dirinya menunggu persidangan baru tentang penghasutan kerusuhan. Dalam sebuah surat dari penjara, dia menjelaskan bahwa dirinya menderita sakit lambung (gastrik) dan gangguan kesehatan lainnya akibat dari kurannya gizi dan makanan. Amnesty Internasional mengeluarkan “Urgent Alert” mengenai hal ini, karena prihatin akan kondisi Tabuni dalam bahaya yang serius akibat penyiksaan selama dalam kurungan isolasi di Polda Papua.

Tabuni ditawari remisi pada hari kemerdekaan Indonesia, 17 Agustus 2011. Dirinya menerima penawaran tersebut tetapi terus melanjutkan perannya sebagai ketua KNPB.

Tahun berikutnya, pada tanggal 6 Juni 2012, Tabuni kembali ditahan bersama dengan dua aktifis KNPB lainnya saat meninggalkan kantor DPRD Papua. Assa Alua, salah satu dari ketiga yang ditahan memberi tahu suarapapua.com bahwa mereka kerap dipukul dan disiksa dari saat penahanan, tidak diperkenankan menghubungi kuasa hukum mereka, dan juga bahwa pihak kepolisian memaksa mereka mengakui bahwa mereka ikut serta dalam kejadian penembakan akhir–akhir ini. Hari berikutnya, Detiknews melaporkan bahwa menurut Wakil Kepala Polda Paulus Waterpauw, Tabuni merupakan dalang kekerasan di Papua, termasuk penusukan kepada dua korban.

Saat kuasa hukum mereka akhirnya dibolehkan untuk menemui ketiga tahanan, terjelaskan bahwa Tabuni sebenarnya ditangkap bersangkutan dengan kerusuhan di penjara 18 bulan sebelumnya. Pihak kepolisian tidak memberi penjelasan mengenai penguluran waktu dalam kasus tersebut, dan kenapa tuduhan yang diangkat begitu berbeda dengan tuduhan yang beredar di surat kabar pada saat itu yaitu bahwa Tabuni tertuduh melakukan pembunuhan.

Konteks penangkapan Tabuni yang kedua kali ini barangkali bisa dihubungkan dengan kenyataan bahwa KNPB telah mengorganisir beberapa demonstrasi–demonstrasi besar selama beberapa minggu sebelumnya. Laporan koran Bintang Papua menceritakan bagaimana selama beberapa minggu terakir pihak kepolisian telah mengeluarkan panggilan kepada Tabuni agar mereka dapat mengontrol demonstrasi–demonstrasi yang sedang berlangsung, dan juga mengancam untuk menahannya apabila tidak memenuhi panggilan.

Selanjutnya, rangkaian penembakan misterius yang terjadi hampir setiap hari di Jayapura pada saat itu mengakibatkan kepanikan dan ketegangan diseluruh kota. Pengumuman dari Paulus Waterpauw terlihat seperti menuduh Tabuni untuk rankaian penembakan tersebut, juga beberapa pihak media (contohnya Vivanews) melaporkan dirinya dicurigai melakukan kejadian tersebut. Satu minggu setelahnya, saat polisi berpakaian preman menembak mati ketua KNPB lainnya, Mako Tabuni, beberapa laporan melaporkan bahwa pihak kepolisian menuduh Mako dan KNPB melakukan penembakan–penembakan teror tersebut. Tetapi, persidangan kedua Buchtar Tabuni hanya fokus kepada kerusuhan di penjara; tidak ada dakwaan tentang demonstrasi KNPB ataupun kejadian penembakan.

Tabuni kembali disidangkan untuk kedua kalinya dan didakwa pasal 170 KUHP bersangkutan dengan kekerasan terhadap perorangan atau properti. Dirinya terhukum 8 bulan penjara. Dominggus Pulalo juga disidangkan terkait kasus ini; DominggusPulalo telah dipenjarakan pada tahun 2010 dalam dakwaan non-politik dan juga tertuduh melalukan penghasutan dipenjara. Salah satu kuasa hukumnya, Gustaf Kawer melaporkan dalam Bintang Papua kurangnya bukti terhadap dakwaan ini karena saksi–saksi kunci, termasuk Liberty Sitinjak, mantan ketua Lapas, tidak hadir untuk memberi kesaksian pada persidangan. Dalam sebuah artikal yang diterbitkan ALDP, Gustaf Kawer juga mencatat bahwa kesaksian salah satu dari lima saksi mata tetap dipakai walaupun kesaksian itu telah dicabut sebelumnya. Gustaf juga mempertanyakan penggunaan pasal 170, yang mengacu pada kekerasan kepada perorangan atau properti yang dilakukan oleh sebuah kelompok. Penggunaan pasal ini yang seharusnya dibuktikan bahwa aksi ini dilakukan oleh suatu kelompok diabaikan oleh persidangan jelas-nya.

Sejumlah laporan telah diterbitkan yang menjelaskan penekanan terhadap para aktifis selama persidangan. Tabloid Jubi melaporkan bahwa anggota KNPB kerap menerima sms dan telefon yang mengancam mereka untuk tidak menghadiri persidangan. Lalu pada tanggal 23 Juli 2012, Bintang Papua melaporkan bahwa Yusak Pakage, seorang mantan tawanan, telah ditangkap dan ditahan saat menghadiri persidangan sebagai penonton. Kecewa dengan berjalannya persidangan, Yusak menendang jatuh sebuah tong sampah yang mengotori seorang petugas pengadilan. Walaupun itulah kejadian yang memicu penangkapannya, Yusak akhirnya ditahan atas tuduhan kepemilikan senjata (pisau lipat). Amnesty International langsung mengeluarkan banding untuk mendukung Pakage setelah mengetahui bahwa dirinya telah diancam dengan siksaan, dan kerap diinterogasi tentang kegiatan–kegiatan politiknya dan usahanya untuk mengumpulkan uang untuk membantu pada tahanan politik yang sakit. KNPB juga mengaku bahwa dalam persidangan 6 Agustus 2012 tersebut, polisi mencoba menahan salah satu ketua KNPB lainnya, Victor Yeimo, tanpa diketahui alasannya. Tetapi Yeimo berhasil kabur dengan menggunakan sepeda motor.

Buchtar Tabuni dilaporkan dibebaskan pada tanggal 19 Januari 2013, sesudah menjalani masa hukuman dia.

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