PAPUA -- ACTIVIST STILL IN CUSTODY, DETAILS EMERGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 003041

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, DRL/AWH, EAP/MLS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINS ID
SUBJECT: PAPUA -- ACTIVIST STILL IN CUSTODY, DETAILS EMERGE
ABOUT ARREST

REF: JAKARTA 3015

Classified By: DepPol/C Daniel E. Turnbull, reasons 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Detained Papuan human rights activist
Iwanggin Sabar Olif remains in police custody in Jakarta.
His lawyers have visited him in custody and report that is in
good condition. It is unclear what the police plan to do
with him next. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) FURTHER DETAILS RE ARREST: Aloysius Renwarin, an
official of the human rights group Els-ham Papua described
the circumstances leading to Iwanggin's arrest in an October
31 meeting with poloff. Police officers searched Iwanggin's
house on the morning of October 17, saying they were looking
for evidence of an unspecified crime. Among the officers
present was an ethnic Papuan who, according to Renwarin, was
"widely known to be part of the anti-terror Special
Detachment 88 (SD-88)." Later that day, Iwanggin met with
the police in Abepura, a suburb of Jayapura, to ask why he
was under investigation. The Papuan police told him he was
suspected of sending threatening SMS messages and advised him
to retain legal counsel.


3. (C) Iwanggin, accompanied by Renawarin attempted on
October 18 to meet with officials at Papua police
headquarters in Jayapura. Before doing so, they were
approached by a group of approximately 20 plain-clothes
police officers, including an unspecified number from SD-88,
according to Renwarin, who claimed to have witnessed the
event. Officers from a Jakarta-based Criminal Investigation
Division unit made the arrest. SD-88 officers were present,
but were not directly involved in taking Iwanggin into
custody. (Note: This corroborates information Mission
obtained about the arrest from police sources and reported
reftel.) The police confiscated Iwanggin's mobile phone and
told him he was formally under investigation for defaming the
president.


4. (C) QUESTIONED IN JAKARTA: Iwanggin's lawyer, Amon
Berokorui, has reportedly met his client several times while
in police custody. Berokorui told poloff on October 31 that
Iwanggin had been questioned repeatedly and was in good
condition. On several occasions, officers identifying
themselves as part of SD-88 questioned Iwanggin about
electronic evidence showing that certain SMS messages had
originated from his mobile phone. They reported having
tracked his phone using an unspecified electronic device,
according to Berokorui. Mission has been unable to obtain
further information about this claim from police contacts.


5. (C) NOT YET CHARGED: The authorities continue to hold
Iwanggin, although they have not yet formally charged him
with a crime. (Note: Under Indonesian law, the police can
hold a suspect for 30 days without charge. They can appeal
to a judge for another 30 day detention, which is usually
approved.) Berokorui told poloff that Iwanggin's legal team
had requested he be transferred back to Jayapura while the
investigation continued. The police reportedly agreed to
this in principle but so far had not announced any firm plans
to do so.


6. (C) GROWING ANGER, SUSPICION: Several Papuan contacts
have expressed their anger over Iwanggin's detention. They
note that hundreds or thousands of Papuans have received or
forwarded messages of the sort Iwanggin is alleged to have
sent. They continue to believe that Iwanggin was singled out
because of his human-rights advocacy. Papuan human rights
activists are working to publicize the case with national and
international human rights organizations.

HUME