Edo Dogopia is a member of the KNPB Timika region, who was arrested by a joint TNI / Polri apparatus for leading a peaceful demonstration on the commemoration of Human Rights Day on 10 December 2018.
On 31 December 2018, Edo was detained for more than 24 hours without charge in the Mimika Regional police station. On the morning of that day, at around 09:00 WIT, KNPB activists planned to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the KNPB celebration at their secretariat. Their activities were obstructed at 08:00 CEST, without showing order authorizations, arrest warrants and search and seizure warrants, a combination of Mimika TNI / Polres officials surrounded, searched, dismantled and took ownership of the KNPB Timika secretariat building. The apparatus then arrested Edo Dogopia, along with five other KNPB activists; Yanto Awerkion, Johanna Songgonau, Vincent Gobai, Ruben Kogoya and Elius Wenda, and detained them at the Mimika Regional police station. The six activists suffered beatings during detention. They were also forced to sign a statement of love for the Republic of Indonesia and promised not to join the KNPB, before finally being released by the police on 1 January.
On 5 January, the six activists, along with Sem Ukago and Sem Asso, were again summoned and questioned by Mimika Regional Police on charges of treason based on Article 106 of the Criminal Code. The hearing was delayed due to procedural violations carried out by the police. Then, on January 7, the investigation continued with three KNPB activists, Edo Dogopia, Yanto Awerkion and Sem Asso, which immediately placed the three as suspects on charges of treason. When the three activists were arrested and transferred to the Jayapura Regional Police headquarters on January 8, Mimika Regional Police did not give a notification letter to their families.
On the basis of some procedural violations committed by the police, KNPB Chairman Agus Kossay, through the legal counsel of PAHAM Papua, sent a summons to the Mimika Regional Police Chief on January 3. Indonesian security forces also received criticism from five international institutions; TAPOL, Fransiscans International, International Coalition for Papua, Watch Indonesia! and Geneva for Human Rights Global Training, because it uses treason articles to limit freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Papua. International pressure also came from Amnesty International, who asked the Papua Regional Police (Polda) to immediately release unconditionally and stop legal proceedings against Edo Dogopia, Yanto Awerkion and Sem Asso, which had been charged with “treason”.
Based on the summons on January 3, which were not responded to by the police, finally the KNPB, through PAHAM Papua as its attorney, presented the Mimika Regional Police Chief in the Timika City District Court. On February 19, PN judge Timika decided to reject this pretrial lawsuit.
Edo Dogopia’s trial process at Timika City District Court ended on 29 May 2019. He was convicted and sentenced to 8 months in prison.
