The political prisoner Yusak ‘Bazoka’ Logo, Head of the Politics Desk of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), was released from the Abepura correctional facility in Jayapura on 26 August 2020 after serving a sentence of twelve months. He was arbitrarily arrested on 15 August 2019 in response to a peaceful demonstration in commemoration of the ‘New York Agreement’. The prosecutor sought a sentence of three years for Logo for the violation of Article 266 of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP) on document forgery. According to Bazoka Logo, an immigration officer had offered him help to accelerate the application process and issued a forged passport document against illegal fees. Human rights lawyers claimed that the police pressed the charges against him due to his membership in the ULMWP, because the organisation engages in international advocacy for the right to self-determination of the Papuan people.
Human rights activists repeatedly raised concerns regarding the conditions of Bazoka Logo’s detention. According to information received, Bazoka Logo was detained in a small police detention cell (see into image, source: ULMWP) for eight months during the police investigation and court process. He was kept for two months in isolation at the Bhayangkara Police Hospital after getting sick during detention. Bazoka Logo only served two months of his sentence at the Abepura correctional facility. Other ULMWP members welcomed the release of Bazoka Logo but criticised the authorities for not issuing any aforehand notice of his release.
