'Makar' should be tested before Constitutional Court

'Makar' should be tested before Constitutional Court

Yan Christian Warinussy, the executive director of LP3BH, the Instituteof Research, Analysis and Development for Legal Aid, has called on the Dewan Adat Papua, the Papuan Customary Council, to submit the 'makar' -subversion - article in the Indonesian Criminal Code/KUHP to the Constitutional Court for a judicial review.

'I call on DAP together with the Papuan people to seek a judicial review
of the makar article before the Constitutional Court because it is no
longer appropriate for such a law to remain in force in a democratic
country like Indonesia. 'Other democratic states around the world don't
have such a law,' he said, 'because it is so out-of-date.'

He said that this should be recognised by all components of Papuan
society, including DAP and should be tested by a judicial review.'

If this article continues to remain in force, the police will be able to
make use of it to arrest Papuan activists when they give expression to
their political aspirations to the government. This includes rejecting
the special autonomy law and calling for dialogue as the way to resolve
the Papuan issue and various other problems in Papua.'

This article can also be used by prosecutors and judges to convict
Papuan civilians and activists when raising problems that they confront.
'In my opinion, this article will continue to be used to round up and
imprison indigenous Papuans whenever they give voice to their aspirations.

He said that the police continue to use articles 106 and 107 of the
criminal code on subversion and incitement to detain Papuan activists
whenever they raise any problems in Papua, he said.

ENDS

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