On 3 December 2021, judges of the Sorong district court found 14-year-old, LK, guilty of murder and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment. The lawyers have appealed against the verdict. Two other minors, YA and MS, will still have to stand trial in relation to the attack against the Kisor military post, where four soldiers were killed. Lawyers representing the defendants in court called upon the Indonesian Judicial Commission and Child Protection Commission to monitor the trials and ensure that all state actors follow criminal procedure and juvenile justice provisions.
According to the lawyers, military and police representatives attended a court session in the trial against LK. This contradicts Law No. 11/ 2012 on Juvenile Criminal Justice System (UU SPPA) which stipulates that all trials against minors must be closed to the public. The security force members only left after the lawyers complained to the judges.
The lawyers represent the view that the judges ignored the testimonies of the key-witness in the case. Security force members had forced him under torture to incriminate LK. He later repealed his testimony at court, arguing that the police officers forced him to provide names and make a confession.
LK himself testified he was staying in the village of Susumuk as the attack against the Kisor military post occurred. LK, YA and MS deny any wrong doing or involvement in the attack. The three minors were arrested in the Kokas Village along with three (2 adults, 1 minors) other internally displaced Papuans on 28 September 2021. The lawyers argue that the arrest, prosecution and sentencing of LK also resulted from many criminal procedure breaches during the early law enforcement. Police officers reportedly tortured the arrestees. Their hands were tied, and their eyes blindfolded with tape.
