Olga Helena Hamadi, co-ordinator of the team of lawyer that defended Forkorus and his four co-defendants, has announced that their appeal against the sentence has already been drafted and they planned to submit it to the court on 2 April.
'We have just finalised the draft and now that it is ready, we will submit it to the court on Monday, 2 April,' she said.
'We are asking the court to reconsider its verdict passed against Forkorus and his four co-defendants. Basically our appeal calls for the court to release the five men because the trial failed to prove that they were guilty of treason.'
As has previously been reported, judicial considerations during the trial failed to prove their guilt because the witnesses were unable to describe the role the five men had played, as a result of which the stipulations in Article 106 of the Criminal Code (regarding makar) and Article 110 (regarding conspiracy) were not proven.
The witnesses were not able to confirm any of the accusations against the defendants. With regard to the 69 items of evidence, only one of these items was presented in court, namely a banner.
On 16 March 2012, the panel of judges at the Abepura Court, Jayapaura, sentenced the five men, Forkorus Yaboisembut, Selvius Bobii, August Makbrawen Sananay Kraar and Dominikus Sorabut were each sentenced to three years. The five men are now being held in Abepura Prison, Jayapura.
Translated by TAPOL