Yusak Pakage
Yusak Pakage (born 1979) is an Indonesian activist for Papuan independence, best known for his 2005–2010 imprisonment for raising the pro-independence Morning Star flag. Flag-raising incident In December 2004, at the age of 26, Pakage and activist Filep Karma raised the Morning Star flag at a rally of 200 people outside of Abepura, Papua Province. According to Amnesty International, police then fired on the crowd and advanced with batons, arresting Karma. Pakage later protested Karma's arrest at the police station and was arrested himself. In January 2005, Pakage and Karma were on trial for treason before the Jayapura District Court. The prosecutor accused Pakage of having "damaged the sovereignty of Indonesia". In May, Papuan independence supporters clashed with police outside the courthouse, throwing bottles and rocks while police fought the crowd with batons. The police commander in charge of the operation was found guilty of human rights violations and replaced several days after the incident. At the conclusion of the trial, Pakage was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, while Karma was sentenced to fifteen years. On 24 August 2005, Pakage briefly escaped from custody while under escort to fetch a book from his home. He was recaptured several hours later