A Polish national who was due to stand trial on Tuesday on charges of treason for allegedly aiding separatist rebels in Indonesia's restive Papua province refused to sit in the dock, his lawyer said.
Jakub Fabian Skrzypski, 39, is the first foreigner ever to be charged with treason in Indonesia and could face a maximum 20-year jail sentence if found guilty, his lawyer Latifah Anum Siregar said.
Skrzypski has refused to eat since he was moved to a police detention centre in Wamena district for his trial and insisted that he be tried in the provincial capital Jayapura.
"He's depressed and is refusing to stand trial," Siregar said. "He complained about the lack of basic facilities including clean water."
The trial was adjourned until January 14.
Siregar said her client insisted that he was innocent.
"We reject accusations that he engaged in treasonous acts and that he was involved in the separatist group," she said.
Siregar said her client was an avid traveller who had visited several conflict-ridden areas around the world to learn about their histories.
Skrzypski entered Indonesia on a tourist visa in July and was arrested along with three Papuans in Wamena in late August, police said.
Police earlier said that the Pole had been given free access to Papuan rebels' activities to expose human rights violations allegedly committed by Indonesian forces.
They also alleged that he had promised to supply weapons to the rebels.
A low-level separatist conflict has been taking place in Papua since the 1960s. Security forces have been accused of human rights abuses while conducting counter-insurgency operations.
Jakub Fabian Skrzypski is the first foreigner ever to be charged with treason in Indonesia
