Johan Teterissa

Johan Teterissa (born c. 1961 – December 4th, 2019) was a Moluccan elementary school teacher, activist and member of the Republic of the South Moluccas, or RMS, an active separatist group which advocates independence for the Maluku islands from Indonesia.

[3] Teterissa, who is an elementary school teacher by profession, had been arrested and given a lenient sentence in the past for a similar flag waving demonstration in 2003.

[6] Teterissa's life sentence for treason is believed to show the government of Indonesia's extreme sensitivity to separatist movements across the country,[10][11] which consists of a sprawling archipelago of nearly 18,000 islands.

[7] Indonesian court official Amin Syafrudin said that another 19 RSM activists had been convicted of treason chargers and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 20 years for their part in the June 2007 protests.

"[3] Asmara Nababan, who is the former secretary-general of the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights told the media that the judges overreacted to the incident in their sentencing, as Teterissa's protest was nonviolent.

"[3] Critics also pointed out that no separatists who took up arms against the government from two of Indonesia's more well known independence movements, Aceh and Papua, have been sentenced as harshly as Teterissa, who performed a nonviolent act.

Upon his arrival, guards reportedly used electric cables to whip his back, causing Amnesty to issue an alert on Teterissa's behalf.