A Polish tourist has been jailed for five years in Indonesia after being convicted of plotting with rebels in the east of the country.
Jakub Skrzypski, 39, was arrested in Papua province last August and accused of treason after allegedly making contacts with separatists there.
Papuan student Simon Magal who met Skrzypski and contacted him on Facebook was also jailed for four years.
Skrzypski has denied plotting against the state and insists he is a tourist.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to speak in my defence or to present any favourable evidence. I reject the trial as well as the verdict,” he told the BBC in a text message.
Latifah Anum Siregar, Skrzypski’s lawyer, said she would appeal against the decision.
“He is the first foreigner to be found guilty of treason in Indonesia and was found guilty alongside his friend,” the lawyer told the BBC.
“He was a tourist and he was just visiting friends that he met over the internet and other people who he had been recommended to meet who turned out to be activists,” she added.
Police initially accused Skrzypski of trying to set up an arms deal, but this was not raised at trial.
Skrzypski was travelling in Papua when he met members of the National Committee for West Papua. Their stated aim is to campaign in a non-violent way for a referendum on independence.
Source: BBC
