Papuan Independence Figure Arrested By Indonesian Police On Suspicion Of Treason.

Authorities in Indonesia have arrested Papuan independence leader Victor Yeimo on suspicions of treason. He is also being accused of orchestrating some of the most serious civil unrest in decades that broke out in 2019.

National police spokesman Iqbal Alqudusy said the 38 year old, who is the international spokesman of the West Papua National Committee, was arrested in the provincial capital of Jayapura on Sunday and is being questioned.

The president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo called for a crackdown after a senior intelligence figure was shot dead late last month, and an additional 400 troops deployed to the easternmost provinces of Indonesia where tension continues to rise.

Police are accusing Yeimo of being the “mastermind” behind the civil unrest and of committing treason, insulting the national flag and anthem, as well as inciting violence and social unrest and carrying weapons without a permit.

It is alleged that the protest erupted after a group of papuan students where verbally assaulted by a mob with racial epithets and where called “monkeys”, over accusations they had desecrated a national flag. The unrest that followed spurred calls for independence from Indonesia.

Papuan separatists have been pushing for independence for decades, saying that the 1969 vote overseen by the United Nations that brought the region under Indonesian control was illegitimate.