JAKARTA, Indonesia – A Polish tourist has been sentenced to five years prison in Indonesia for treason after meeting with Papuan independence supporters.
Jakub Skrzypski was arrested in Wamena in the easternmost Papua region in August and accused of plotting against the Indonesian state. He denied any wrongdoing.
One of his lawyers, Latifah Anum Siregar, says Papuan student Simon Magal who met Skrzypski and communicated with him on Facebook was sentenced by the same court Thursday to four years in prison.
The case has highlighted Indonesia's sensitivity about the volatile Papua region where an insurgency has simmered for decades.
Friends of Skrzypski, who lived in Switzerland, have said he's an avid traveler who unwittingly got embroiled in Indonesian politics.