Yakob Sowe
ソース
Yakob Sowe is the Chief of the Sowe Clan in Ikana village in Papua, Indonesia. Since 2015, Yakob Sowe, along with Onesimus Wetaku and other Ikanan residents, have been actively fighting for and demanding their rights to the lands, forests, and sources of subsistence taken from them and destroyed by the palm oil plantation company PT. Putera Manunggal Perkasa, a subsidiary of Austino Nusantara Jaya (ANJ) Group. As a result of their activities, Yakob and Ones have also endured repeated verbal violence and death threats, and become targets of recrimination among people within their own communities. For example, on 30 July 2019, local villagers claimed that Yakob Sowe and Ones Wetaku had used black magic to kill one of their children in February 2019. In that occasion, Yakob Sowe suffered a violent attack on his home and property from a group of pro-company armed local residents. Yakob Sowe’s house and personal vehicles were severely damaged. Yakob Sowe himself was trapped in his house and the group of local residents broke its windowpanes, door, and window frames. They also threatened to kill him. The defender believes this attack is in retaliation to his activism.