PAPUA -- ACTIVIST ACQUITTED IN HIGH-PROFILE CASE

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 000160 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/ANP; NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2019 TAGS: PGOV KJUS ID SUBJECT: PAPUA -- ACTIVIST ACQUITTED IN HIGH-PROFILE CASE REF: 08 JAKARTA 824 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Papuan human rights activist Sabar Iwanggin has been cleared of incitement to violence charges. The prosecution--which alleged that he had sent inflammatory text messages--committed many missteps during the year-long trial and ultimately failed to prove its case. Human rights groups in the restive province hailed the acquittal. Overall, the case shows Papuans that the Indonesian judicial system can sometimes work in their favor and not against them. END SUMMARY. AN ACQUITTAL ¶2. (U) A district court has acquitted Papuan human rights activist Sabar Iwanggin of inciting violence. The court, based in Jayapura, the capital of Indonesia's restive eastern province of Papua, announced the decision on January 29. The three-judge panel said the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against Iwanggin. The trial has dragged on since January 2007. A CONTROVERSIAL CASE ¶3. (C) Iwanggin's case was controversial from the start. Authorities charged the activist with inciting violence by sending text messages that alleged an Indonesian government conspiracy to kill large numbers of Papuans with poisoned food. Iwanggin maintained the he had only forwarded messages that were already circulating widely in the province. Some human rights activists assert that the prosecution was a politically motivated retribution for Iwanggin's human rights work and loose association with Papuan anti-Jakarta elements. ¶4. (C) The prosecution's case suffered from numerous missteps. Key witnesses frequently failed to appear in court. Other witnesses contradicted each other or contradicted their earlier sworn statements. As the trial dragged on through many long adjournments, Iwanggin remained under house arrest. A POSITIVE RESULT FOR PAPUA ¶5. (C) Human rights activists have hailed the outcome as a victory for the rule of law, albeit one that was too long in coming. Many Papuans believe that prosecutors should never have brought the case to trial and feel the judges should have ruled earlier. Overall, the case shows Papuans that the Indonesian judicial system can indeed sometimes work in their favor and not against them. HUME