Polce Tsugomol is a farmer from Limau Asri village, who was suspected by police officers of being a member of the West Papua National Liberation Army. On 9 June, 2018 at 21:00 WIT, an officer from a combined Timika TNI/Polri team confronted Polce while he was walking towards his house. The officers did not produce either a warrant of arrest or detention. They led Polce to their vehicle which then continued on towards his house. Upon arrival at Polce’s house, the authorities forced Orpa Wanjomal, his stepmother, to retrieve some of his personal documents without showing a search warrant. The authorities also threatened Orpa at gunpoint to show Polce’s ammunition stores.
Polce Tsumogol and Orpa Wanjomal were then taken to the Mimika Regional Police station in separate vehicles. In addition to experiencing verbal and physical abuse, both were detained for several days without access to a lawyer. On June 11, 2018, police released Orpa Wanjomal. Polce remained in custody and was taken to the Mako Brimob station (the local headquarters of the Mobile Police Brigade) to undergo further investigation. After initial interrogation, conducted(without the presence of Polce’s attorney, police determined that Polce was a suspect for criminal possession of weapons without a permit. He remained in custody at the Mako Brimob Detachment B station in Timika. The notification letter for Polce’s detention was received by his family on 12 June, 2018.
Eyewitnesses identified personnel from the Antiterrorism Unit (Detachment 88 / Densus 88) as part of the team involved in the arrest and raid on 9 June. Detachment 88 personnel were identifiable by their all-black uniforms and by the particular weapons that they carry. Jakob Rumbiak, a spokesman for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), stated the Joint Special Operations Command unit was involved in the raid (Koopssusgab, a joint military terrorism handling unit that is reports directly to the president).
On 13 June 2018, Polce was examined with legal representation present for the first time (from PAHAM Papua). PAHAM Papua also represented Titus Kwalik and Julianus Dekme, who were arrested a few hours after Polce. Police examined each man separately and used information from each against the other (simultaneously as witnesses and suspects). Although Polce has received legal accompaniment, access to his lawyers and to his family has been restricted by the authorities.
Polce Tsumogol’s examination lasted 3 months before the police delegated the case files to the Prosecutor’s Office. Polce’s lawyers did not receive notice of these procedural moves: neither from the Police to the Attorney General’s Office, nor from the Attorney General’s Office to the Court.
The first session of Polce Tsumogol hearing was held on 13 August 2018. The indictment hearing was postponed twice, and the prosecution hearing 3 times, respectively. On 4 December 2018, Polce Tsumogol was sentenced to 2 years in prison. He is currently serving his sentence in the Timika Correctional Institution.
