The friends of a man fined for refusing to cooperate with police during a protest outside the Indonesian Embassy expressed concern that he was kept in custody for almost 24 hours.
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Adrian van Tonder, 25, pleaded guilty to obstruction, failing to comply with police directions and failing to provide his name or address to officers in the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday morning.
The Melbourne student was among a group of activists that donned white sheets with red ink and lay on the road outside the Yarralumla embassy during a protest in support of West Papuan independence on Friday morning.
The road was outside two authorised protest zones, and all protesters obstructing the embassy's driveway except van Tonder complied with police orders to move.
The court heard van Tonder refused to move or stand up and did not provide his name or address, requiring "several officers" to lift him off the road.
During questioning at the police station, van Tonder allegedly told police he was "not subject to Australian law".
van Tonder's defence lawyer told the court his client acknowledged the consequences of his actions, but had "limited scope" to pay a fine as he was on the Newstart allowance.
The defence asked that the almost 24 hours spent in custody be taken in account when the magistrate considered the scale of the fine.
Officers did not have the ability to place van Tonder in Friday's court lists before deadline.
The prosecution made no submissions beyond the police documents and criminal history tendered to the court.
van Tonder had previously been charged for protest-related offences in Victoria and Queensland.
In handing down his decision, Magistrate Robert Cook acknowledged the right to peaceful protest was a fundamental aspect of Australian democratic society.
"There needs to be at least a recognition... that you understand you went too far on this occasion," he said.
He fined van Tonder $250 each for the three offences.
A group of the protesters supported van Tonder in court, including his partner Kiah Dennerstein.
"The last 24 hours have been horrible," she said.
Fellow protester Rebecca Langley said she was concerned that van Tonder had been held in custody for almost a day.
"The pressure's on because recently there's been a lot of tension between Indonesia and Australia regarding military cooperation."
This week Indonesia asked why Australia had yet to arrest people who "trespassed" and waved the West Papuan separatist flag outside the country's Consulate-General in Melbourne.
