Lawyers in Indonesia have launched legal action against last month's arrest of three members of the the West Papua National Committee in Timika.
West Papuan political prisoner Yanto Awerkion is sentenced to ten months jail for treason by an Indonesian court. Photo: Supplied
Yanto Awerkion, Sem Asso and Edo Dogopia were among six members of the Committee, or KNPB, arrested when police and military took over its local secretariat.
The three men have been charged with treason, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in Indonesia.
The KNPB's legal team yesterday filed pre-trial motions to Timika's district court.
Lawyer Veronica Koman said they are demanding that police immediately release the three activists, claiming they have been unlawfully charged.
The lawyers are also challenging the seizure of the KNPB secretariat, and want police to pay for damages sustained to the premises when police forcibly took control.
The KNPB is also seeking a public apology for the alleged affront on the constitutional rights of the KNPB by security forces last month.
Earlier, after seizing the KNPB's headquarters, police painted over and knocked down walls displaying the red, blue and white colours of the Papuan nationalist Morning Star flag.
Police and military were occupying the building with the reported intent to use it as their own office.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has also called for Papua police to unconditionally release the activists, saying they had only expressed their political views.