Pouvanaa a Oopa
Pouvanaa a Oopa | |
|---|---|
Pouvanaa a Oopa | |
| Senator for French Polynesia | |
| In office 1971–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Alfred Poroi |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Millaud |
| Member of the French National Assembly for French Polynesia | |
| In office 4 August 1949 – 12 February 1960 | |
| Preceded by | Georges Ahnne |
| Succeeded by | Marcel Oopa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 May 1895 Maeva, Huahine, French Polynesia |
| Died | 10 January 1977 Papeete |
| Political party | Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People Pupu Here Aia |
Pouvana'a a O'opa (May 10, 1895 – January 10, 1977) was a Tahitian politician and advocate for French Polynesian independence. He is viewed as the metua (father) of French Polynesia's independence movement.
Pouvanaa served as a Deputy in the National Assembly of France from 1949 — 1958, when he was convicted on charges of arson and sentenced to eight years imprisonment and 15 years exile in France. After being pardoned in 1968, he served as a Senator from 1971 until his death in 1977. His conviction was quashed in 2018 after new evidence showed that French police had fabricated evidence or extracted it by threats of violence, and that the Governor had reported Pouvanaa's arrest before the fires had even been set.