Human Rights case

The Waigani National Court ordered Justus Ohue who was exercising the powers of a police reservists at the time of the assault to pay Johnnie Wabata and Tabi Opeti.

Wabata was the driver of a taxi owned by Tabi Opeti.  

He was on duty, waiting outside the Penthouse nightclub at Gordons for passengers, when he was confronted and assaulted and his human rights were breached by two men, one of whom was Ohue.

Ohue and his companion who was not identified, commandeered the taxi and drove it, with Wabata inside, to the residence of Tabi Opeti at Korobosea.

The group, led by Gibson Asina and John Kuri, had their lawyer serve the section 5 notice on the state. 

They claim they were forcefully evicted on 2 and 3rd June 2017 after they paid the landowners for a piece of land. 

They later came to learn that the portion of land was under a court battle in the National Court. 

They said all communication was through the landowner however, they later watched helplessly as bulldozers forcefully removed their houses. 

This was filed in 1998 by Bruno Yara from Turingi, East Sepik Province, who at the time was an employee of the Ok Tedi Mining company and was living at Tabubil, Western Province.

It was left un-prosecuted for many years and was almost dismissed for want of prosecution on several occasions.

The court, in handing its decision on whether the Yara family established a case before the court, said the delay was due to how his previous lawyers handled the case.

Jeff Joe Lome filed a Human rights case in 2011 against Katu Sele, the Commissioner of Police and the state after he was assaulted by police outside the club on 24 June 2010.

The incident occurred between 1:30 and 2am.

Lome claims he fell unconscious as a result of the assault, and was taken to a private clinic for treatment.

He sustained fractures to his wrist, cuts to his nose, eyes, and lost two teeth from the assault. This was supported by medical reports.